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" INDUSTRIAL 
WORCESTER 



Charles G. Washburn 



* 



THE DAVIS PRESS 
Worcester, 1917 



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JUN-I 1917 



©CI.A462925 



To the Mechanics 

and Manufacturers 

Past and Present 

^Worcester 



COPYRIGHT, 19 1 7 

By Charles G. Washburn * 

WORCESTER 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



CONTENTS 

Chapter I 9 

Early Encouragement of Manufactures — Saw and Grist-Mitt 
— The Silver Mine — Potash — Timothy Bigelow — Early 
Manufacture of Cloth— Paper-Mills — Character of Busi- 
ness prior to 1820 — Trades-people Discontented with the 
Heavy Taxes — Public Men appear in Home-made Cloth 
— Worcester Honorable Society — The First Exhibition of 
the Worcester Agricultural Society. 

Chapter II 31 

Streams and Mill Privileges — Population of Worcester — 
Blackstone Canal — The Railroads — The First Expresses 
— The Old Coal Mine — Peat — Stage Lines. 

Chapter III 61 

Textile Fabrics and Machinery for Making Them — Early 
Manufacture of Cloth — Condition of Woolen Manufac- 
ture — John Goulding — Manufacture of Cotton and Woolen 
Machinery — Card Clothing — Looms — Carpets — Thread. 

Chapter IV Ill 

Foundries — Machine Tools — Agricultural Implements — 
Wrenches. 

Chapter V 142 

Wire — Wire-Workers — Wire-producing Machinery — Cop- 
peras. 

Chapter VI 183 

Carriages and Cars — Wood-working Machinery — Musical 
Instruments — Envelopes. 

Chapter VII 204 

Fire-Arms — Iron and Steel Business — Screws — Steam- 
Engines — Boilers . 

Chapter VIII 231 

Boots and Shoes — Bigelow Heeling-Machine — Leather Bell- 
ing — Boot and Shoe Machinery — Lasts — Dies. 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Chapter IX 249 

Paper Machinery — Razors — Norton Company — Grinding 
Machinery — Corsets — Skates — Chairs — Gas — Electricity — 
Hydraulic Elevators — Cartridge Belts — Drop Forgings — 
Pressed Steel — Wall Paper — Labeling Machines — 
Sprinklers. 

Chapter X 292 

Reasons for Worcester's Prominence as a Manufacturing 
City — Room with Power for Rent — Merrifield Building 
— Heywood Building — Estabrook Building — Enterprise of 
Worcester's Business Men — Mechanics' Association 
— Worcester Polytechnic Institute — Washburn Shops — 
Boys' Trade School — The Laboring Classes — Evening 
Schools — Worcester's Rapid Growth — Heart of the Com- 
monwealth. 

Index 321 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



INTRODUCTION 

I wrote that part of the History of Worcester County, pub- 
lished in 1889, that dealt with the Manufacturing Industries 
of the City of Worcester. In order that it might be more 
available for reference, I have for a long time intended to 
republish it in book form with such additions as I might be 
able to make, and with an adequate index. A work of this 
sort is never completed. It is like a painting which to the eye 
of the artist is never finished. But if we were unwilling to 
turn out any but a perfect product, little would be produced. 
I know that there is a lack of proportion in what I have 
written, due in part to the fact that I have, as far as possible, 
adhered to the form in which the material was originally 
published and in part to the fact that all the information 
I desired was not accessible. 

There must be many mistakes, omissions and inaccuracies 
in what I have written. I shall be very grateful to anyone who 
will call my attention to them to the end that at some 
future time an adequate history of Industrial Worcester may 
be written. 

There is nothing which adds so much to the stability of a 
community as the presence of those who have contributed 
largely to its growth, whose lives have become a part of it, 
who have placed the stamp of their originality upon it. 
This is particularly true where the life of the individual spans 
that of the community. 

Such instances, unknown of course in the older countries 
and now in the earlier settled portions of the United States, 
are the rule rather than the exception in many parts of the 
West. Within the past thirty years have died many men 
who could have told us the story of Worcester's industrial 
growth from their personal knowledge of events and the 
account books of some of them would afford a pretty accurate 
tracing of the progress of American manufactures. 



8 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

It is much to be regretted that the story of Worcester's 
growth has not been more completely told by those who wit- 
nessed it from day to day and that such rich stores of experience 
and anecdote, available only during the life of the individual, 
have not been more largely drawn upon. One by one those 
who laid the foundation of Worcester's great prosperity have 
passed away until there are none left whose business life 
covers the whole space of our great industrial development. 

Many of them were men of very simple character who began 
life in a small way and made slow progress. They were reticent, 
modest, industrious, shrewd, enterprising and a large proportion 
of them very public spirited. They accumulated property not 
always because of great gains, but more often because of 
frugal living and large savings. The same horse which took 
the family to church on Sunday did the transportation for the 
shop or mill on the other days of the week. 

It is not, after all, the policies of great nations which interest 
us most deeply, or great historical events and places, but rather 
the every day affairs of the neighborhood and particularly the 
habits and customs of by gone days. A suit of clothes worn 
by Washington would now be regarded with as much interest 
as the reading of his farewell address is listened to with rever- 
ence, and I venture to say that a view of Main Street as it was 
one hundred years ago will now command a wider interest in 
this community than a photograph of the Roman Forum. 
If some magician could bring it about, who would not like 
to spend an afternoon sitting by the stove in Daniel Waldo's 
hardware store in Lincoln Square listening to the gossip of the 
village? The days in which our pioneer mechanics and manu- 
facturers lived were those of small things, but the seed then 
planted is now yielding a most abundant harvest. 



tytCUUkvWL 



May, 1917. 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



CHAPTER I 

Early Encouragement of Manufactures — Saw and Grist-Mill — The Silver- 
Mine — Potash — Timothy Bigelow — Early Manufacture of Cloth — Paper- 
Mills — Character of Business prior to 1820 — Trades-people Discontented 
with the Heavy Taxes — Public Men appear in Home-made Cloth — Wor- 
cester Honorable Society — The First Exhibition of the Worcester Agricul- 
tural Society. 

After the first settlement of Worcester had been broken 
up by the Indians in King Philip's War, a meeting of 
those interested was held at Cambridge, March 14, 1679, 
N. S., for the purpose of considering the expediency of 
again settling the town. 1 

As a result of this meeting, it was resolved "to settle 
the said plantation some time the next summer come 
twelve months, which shall be in the year of our Lord 
1680." 

The town was to be built to attain six ends, which 
were enumerated, chief among them "the better convenity 
of attending God's worship," and the "better education 
of their children"; but provision was also to be made 
"for the better accommodation of trades-people." 

Nothing of a practical kind was done looking toward 
the settlement until the General Court threatened to 
forfeit the grant unless the settlement were made ; accord- 
ingly, an agreement was entered into April 24, 1684, with 
that end in view. It was voted that the plantation be 
divided into four hundred and eighty lots, three of these 
to be set apart for the maintenance of a saw-mill, and 
three for a grist-mill. To the builders and maintainers 
of works promoting useful trades, and for a fulling-mill, 
when the place is capable thereof, six lots. 

1 Lincoln, p. 33. 



10 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The histories appear to agree that Captain John Wing 
built the first mills in Worcester, some time in 1685, 
perhaps in the month of March; he probably had both a 
saw and grist-mill located on the north of Lincoln Square, 
on Mill Brook, about where the Nashua freight depot is 
now situated. 

Captain Wing appears to have been a man of consider- 
able consequence. He was a resident of Boston, one of 
the founders of the Old South Church, an officer in the 
artillery company and kept the Castle Tavern. He was 
a member of the committee having charge of the planta- 
tion of Quinsigamond, and became a large landholder 
there, conducting his mill in Worcester and his tavern 
in Boston at the same time. He died in 1702. * 

From 1686 until the fall of 1713 no records appear of 
the transactions which took place in the settlement, and 
during a great part of that time the country was exposed 
to the ravages of the Indians, and, in consequence, the 
town was almost entirely deserted. 

The third attempt to effect a permanent settlement 
was made in October, 1713; the old saw-mill of Wing 
appears under the ownership of Thomas Palmer, Cor- 
nelius Waldo, of Boston, and John Oulton, of Marblehead. 

The next mill to be built was that of Obadiah Ward, 
which he devised to his son in his will dated December 16, 
1717. It was near the upper canal-lock, present site of 
Cromp ton's Loom Works 2 on Green St. 

Elijah Chase built the first corn-mill, near where the 
Quinsigamond Paper-Mills were afterwards erected on 
the Blackstone River. The water privilege, with thirty 
acres of land at Quinsigamond, was granted by the town 
to Captain Nathaniel Jones, September 12, 1717, upon 

1 " Early Settlement of Worcester, " by Francis E. Blake. 
s Lincoln. 



SILVER MINE 11 

condition that he should complete and maintain a grist- 
mill for twelve years. He built a dam and saw-mill in 
1726, but both were probably swept away in the flood of 
1728-29, and in 1732 the town took steps to recover the land 
by reason of the failure of Jones to comply with his con- 
tract. 1 The mills in Worcester at this early period were 
few in number and simple in character. Saw and grist- 
mills, with an occasional fulling-mill and trip-hammer 
shop, were to be found ; certainly the demands of two hun- 
dred people could not have been very great. 

In 1754, according to a description found in Lincoln's 
History, "a vein of metal, which was supposed to be 
silver, was discovered near the head of the valley, about 
a mile north of the town. A company for exploring the 
spot was formed by some of the most substantial inhab- 
itants, furnaces and smelting-houses were erected and a 
cunning German employed as superintendent. Under 
his direction a shaft was sunk eighty feet perpendicularly, 
and a horizontal gallery extended about as far through the 
rock, which was to be intersected by another shaft, com- 
menced about six rods north of the first opening. 

" Among the masses which were, within a few years, 
laid around the scene of operations were specimens of 
the ores containing minute portions of silver, specks of 
copper and lead, much iron and an extraordinary quantity 
of arsenic; when struck against steel a profusion of vivid 
sparks were thrown out, and a peculiarly disagreeable 
odor of the latter mineral emitted. On the application 
of heat this perfume increased to an overpowering extent. 
The company expended great sums in blasting the rocks, 
raising its fragments and erecting buildings and machin- 
ery. While the pile of stone increased, the money of the 

1 "Early Paper-Mills in Massachusetts," E. B. Crane, Proceedings Worcester Society 
of Antiquity for 1886. 



12 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

partners diminished. The furnaces in full blast produced 
nothing but suffocating vapors, curling over the flames 
in those beautiful coronets of smoke which still attend 
the attempt to melt the ore. 

"The shrewd foreigner, in whose promises his associates 
seem to have placed that confidence which honest men 
often repose in the declarations of knaves, became satisfied 
that the crisis was approaching when it would be ascer- 
tained that the funds were exhausted and that stone and 
iron could not be transmuted to gold. Some papers which 
exist indicate that he pretended to knowledge in the occult 
sciences as well as skill in the art of deception; however 
this may be, he assured the company that the great enemy 
of man had been busy in defeating their exertions, making 
his presence redolent in the perfume of sulphur and 
arsenic. He obtained the sum of $100 and made a j ourney 
to Philadelphia to consult with a person experienced in 
mines and their demons, for the purpose of exorcising the 
unsavory spirit of the crucible. He departed with a 
barrel full of the productions of the mine, but never 
returned to state the results of his conference. 

"The proprietors abandoned the work when they were 
awaked by the reality of the loss from the dream of for- 
tune, and afterwards destroyed the records of their 
credulity." 1 

"The spot is easily found. Follow the Nashua Rail- 
road north on foot from its crossing on Mill Brook till 
you pass the two-mile post. The deserted shaft is about 
twenty rods to the northeast of this spot. It is readily 
found, as a pile of slate and stones still lie where they 
were thrown out by the miners on a slight eminence in 
the meadow." 2 

1 Lincoln, p. 294. 

2 "The Heart of the Commonwealth," Henry J. Howland, 1856. 



SILVER MINE— POTASH 13 

And yet the German superintendent may have been 
more superstitious than knavish. The mineral which 
baffled him, whose arsenical fumes almost suffocated his 
miners and confirmed his belief in the supernatural, was 
cobalt, a name derived from Greek Kobalos, German 
Kobold, a little devil. German folk-lore is full of the 
diabolical pranks of the Kobold, and of pity for the un- 
fortunate beings who suffered from the tortures which he 
inflicted to prevent incursions upon his subterranean 
dwelling. 

In 1760 the manufacture of potash appears to have 
been carried on quite extensively in and about Worcester; 
indeed, it was a thriving industry throughout the country. 
By reason of its scarcity in England, Parliament remitted 
the duties in 1751, and encouraged its importation from 
the colonies, where wood was plentiful. Numerous 
pamphlets upon the desirability of this branch of manu- 
facture to the colonies, and upon the best methods of 
making potash, were at this time published. 

Its manufacture was urged on the ground of affording 
the colonies an article of export with which to pay for 
the manufactures imported from Great Britain, and the 
North American plantations were thought to be well 
adapted to the manufacture of potash by reason of the 
abundance of wood suitable for the purpose. A writer 
upon this subject, in 1767, makes the following recom- 
mendations : 

It is supposed that each set of works for carrying on the manufacture 
of potash will have a range of ten miles round for its supply, less than 
which would not be sufficient; and I would here, by the way, caution 
such who may undertake to erect works for this purpose, that the place 
they fix upon be at least twenty miles distant from any other works of 
the like kind, lest they only injure their enterprise by thus cutting off 
the prospect of a sufficient supply of ashes. 

Each set of works under such advantages of obtaining stock will, I 
presume, at the least, annually produce twenty tons of good potash, 
which, at the lowest rate it has ever been sold for, namely, £25, would 



14 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

amount to £500 sterling, and if twenty of these works were to be erected 
within the limits of the province of Massachusetts (which I think a mod- 
erate number), there might be annually exported out of the province alone 
400 tons of potash, which, at the before-mentioned low rate, would amount 
to £10,000 sterling.! 

The process of manufacture was simple, and consisted 
in treating wood-ashes with water until the potash con- 
tained in them was exhausted, and from the lye thus 
made a salt was obtained by evaporation. The woods 
chiefly employed in making potash were hickory, oak, 
beech, birch, elm, walnut, chestnut and maple. Woods 
like evergreen, or that abound in turpentine, were avoided. 

Worcester appears to have been well supplied with 
wood, and works for the manufacture of potash were 
established in different parts of the town. Pleasant 
Street was at one time known as Potash Hill. Lincoln, 
in his history, says: "Works for making potash were 
first established in the north part of the town about 1760; 
buildings for similar purposes were placed on the west 
side of Lincoln Street, a little above the old Hancock 
Arms Tavern, by John Nazro, about ten years after; four 
more were established at much later periods." 

Peter Whitney, in his history, published in 1793, says: 
"The first complete ton of potash was sent to market 
from the neighboring town of Ashburnham, where it was 
made at the time of the settlement in 1735." In 1788 
there were about two hundred and fifty potash works in 
Massachusetts. Governor Bowdoin, as a remedy for 
the distress then prevailing, had recommended in a mes- 
sage to the General Court, 1785, that the farmers in towns 
where there was an abundance of wood to be cleared 
away, should devote themselves to the production of 
potash and pearl-ash, and the ashes should be deposited 

1 John Mascarence's address to His Excellency, Thomas Pownall, Esq., captain-general 
and Governor-in-chief in and over His Majesty's province of Massachusetts Bay in New 
England. 



TIMOTHY BIGELOW 15 

with the State agent, who should sell them and use the 
money to pay the taxes of the men who brought them. 

Isaiah Thomas, in 1793, advertised a book on the 
manufacture of pot and pearl-ash. 

It has seemed worth while to dwell at some length 
upon the manufacture of potash, as it so clearly shows 
the narrow resources of the provinces at that time, 
and the lack of any manufacturing interests beyond the 
simplest kinds designed to meet the wants of a scanty 
population. 

One of the earliest mechanics to attain prominence in 
Worcester was Timothy Bigelow, who, before the Revolu- 
tion, had a blacksmith's shop where the Court Mills 
afterwards stood, near the present junction of Union Street 
with Lincoln Square. Of him a somewhat romantic 
story is told. 

There then stood on the site of the block of brick 
houses, opposite the court-house, the residence of the 
orphan daughter of Samuel Andrews, then the principal 
heiress in Worcester. To quote from an old newspaper 
story i 1 

"In the rear of the Andrews home Tim Bigelow had a 
blacksmith's shop, where he blew the bellows, heated 
and hammered the iron, and shod the horses and. oxen 
and mended the plows and chains for the farmers of the 
country about him. Now Tim was as bright as a button, 
more than six feet high, straight and handsome, and 
walked upon the earth with a natural air and grace that 
was quite captivating. Now Tim saw Anna, and Anna 
saw Tim, and they were well satisfied with each other; 
but, as he was then ' nothing but Tim Bigelow, the black- 
smith,' the lady's friends, whose ward she was, would 
not give their consent to a marriage. So, watching an 

1 "Carl's Tour in Main Street." 



16 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

opportunity, the lovers mounted fleet horses and rode a 
hundred miles, to Hampton, in New Hampshire, which 
lies on the coast, between Newburyport and Portsmouth, 
and was at that time the ' Gretna Green' for all young 
men and maidens for whom true love did not run a smooth 
course in Massachusetts. They came back to Worcester 
as Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Bigelow. 

"He was a man of decided talent, and well fitted by 
nature for a popular leader. All the leading men of the 
town at that time were Tories. He espoused the cause 
of the people, and soon had a party strong enough to 
control the town, and, being known as a patriot, he was 
recognized by Hancock, Samuel Adams, General Warren, 
James Otis and others of the patriot party throughout 
the Province. He was sent as a delegate from Worcester 
to the Provincial Congress, and, as captain of the minute- 
men, he led his company from Worcester to Cambridge 
on the 19th of April, 1775, at the summons of a messenger, 
who rode swiftly into town that day on a large white 
horse, announcing that war had begun. 

" Blacksmith Bigelow soon rose to the rank of major, 
and, afterwards, to that of colonel of the Fifteenth 
Massachusetts Regiment, which was composed almost 
exclusively of Worcester County men. He was at the 
storming of Quebec, at the taking of Burgoyne, at the 
terrific scenes of Valley Forge and on almost every 
other field made memorable by the fierce conflicts of the 
Revolution. 

"When the war was over he returned home, his con- 
stitution shattered by hard service for his country, his 
health ruined, his fortune gone in consequence of the 
formidable depreciation of the currency, under which 
forty dollars was scarcely sufficient to pay for a pair of 
shoes. " 



EARLY MANUFACTURE OF CLOTH 17 

In 1789 a few men formed an association for the pur- 
pose of manufacturing cloths, that had theretofore been 
imported from Great Britain, and in the Spy of April 30, 
1789, the following notice is found: 

On Tuesday last the first piece of corduroy made at a manufactory in 
this town was taken from the loom; and March 25, 1790, the proprie- 
tors of the Worcester Cotton Manufactory gave notice that they would 
not take any more linen yarn for the present, having a sufficient quan- 
tity on hand. 

May 27, 1790, Samuel Brazer advertises " goods of 
American manufacture to be sold at wholesale and retail, 
corduroys, jeans, fustians, federal rib, and cotton, for 
cash only. The prices are reasonable, the quality of the 
goods superior to those imported, which will induce all 
to give preference to the manufactures of their own 
country." Later, we find: 

An Overseer wanted at the Cotton Manufactory at Worcester, also 
three or four healthy boys as apprentices; two or three journeymen weavers 
at said manufactory. Apply, for further information, to Saml. Brazer or 
Daniel Waldo, Worcester. 

August 5, 1790, all persons who had demands against 
the proprietors of the Worcester Cotton Manufactory 
were requested to present them to Samuel Brazer and 
Daniel Waldo, Jr., from which we conclude that the 
enterprise had not prospered, and it is probable that upon 
the declaration of peace, goods could be obtained more 
cheaply from England than they could be manufactured 
here. 

This factory, containing crude machinery, stood upon 
Mill Brook, and was located in School Street, east of 
the present location of Union Street. 

When the manufacture of corduroys and fustians was 
abandoned, the factory was moved to Main Street, and 
was thereafter known as the Green store (present site of 
Parker block). Samuel Brazer was from Charlestown, 



18 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

where he was a baker, and in 1782 engaged in the same 
business in Worcester; he appears to have been somewhat 
jealous of his good name, for in 1784 we find him refuting 
a slander in regard to the size of his bread. In October, 
1785, he dealt in crockery and West India goods at the 
sign of The Old Maid, in the centre of the town. From 
this time on Mr. Brazer was engaged in a variety of occu- 
pations. 

Daniel Waldo, Jr., who was associated with Samuel 
Brazer in the manufacture of corduroys, was a son of 
Daniel Waldo, who moved to Worcester from Lancaster 
in 1782, and engaged in the hardware business near the 
bridge over Mill Brook at Lincoln Square. 

The manufacture of paper took an early and prominent 
place among the industries of the Colonies. 

May 3, 1775, at a convention of delegates from towns 
in Worcester County, the following vote was passed: 

Resolved, That the erection of a Paper-mill in this county would be 
of great public advantage, and if any person or persons will undertake 
the erection of such a mill and the manufacture of paper, that it be rec- 
ommended to the people of the county to encourage the undertaking by 
generous contributions and subscriptions. 

In the Spy of July 5, 1775, the following notice is found: 

Any person or persons that incline to set up that useful manufacture, 
the making of paper, may hear of one who will undertake to give direc- 
tions for building a mill, and will carry on the business in good shape with 

assistance. 

From the pamphlet on " Early Paper Mills in Mass- 
achusetts," by E. B. Crane, and part of the Pro- 
ceedings of the Worcester Society of Antiquity for 1886, 
we learn that Abijah Burbank, of Sutton, was the first 
to respond to this resolution. 

Paper was evidently very scarce, for want of it but one- 
half of the Spy could be published October 30, 1776. 



PAPER MILLS 19 

This was no doubt due to the scarcity of rags, which con- 
tinued for some time, for on October 30, 1777, the follow- 
ing notice was published: 

The paper-mills and, of consequence, the printing offices in this county- 
must inevitably stop unless the good people are more careful in preserving 
their rags. The advanced price of 3d. per lb. for clean linen rags is now 
given by the printers, which, together with the invaluable benefit which 
the public must derive from having a plentiful supply of paper books, 
cannot fail of the desired effect. 

This difficulty seems, however, to have been overcome, 
for in May, 1778, Mr. Burbank advertised, — "The manu- 
facture of paper in Sutton is now carried on to great 
perfection. " 

The business of Isaiah Thomas as printer and publisher 
in Worcester had become of considerable consequence. 
The Rev. Peter Whitney stated that no person had added 
more to the consequence and advantages of the town and 
county of Worcester than Isaiah Thomas. The publish- 
ing of the Spy was only a part of his business. After the 
war, in 1788, he conducted a printing-office in Boston 
and in Worcester, and carried on a large business as 
printer, publisher, bookseller and bookbinder. 

Mr. Thomas lived on the site of the stone courthouse, 
just south of which his office was located. He employed 
in the various departments of his business one hundred 
and fifty hands. 

To provide paper for his needs, Mr. Thomas, to quote 
from Mr. Crane's pamphlet, "presumably with the 
intention of erecting a paper-mill, on January 7, 1785, 
purchased of Ephraim McFarland, for ninety pounds, 
the southerly half of a dam and water privilege located 
at what is now known as Quinsigamond village, and on 
the northerly side of the street, in front of the site now 
occupied by the South Works of the American Steel & 
Wire Co. 



20 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

"Owing, perhaps, partly to the unsettled condition 
of the affairs of state, and to the impoverished plight of 
the country, the building of the mill was deferred, and 
November 9, 1787, he sold the property for eighty-five 
pounds to Dr. Elij ah Dix, from whom he again purchased 
it January 31, 1793, for one hundred pounds, and soon 
began the construction of a two-vat mill;" and, to again 
quote Mr. Crane, "This mill, built by Mr. Thomas, was 
supplied with two vats of about one hundred and ten lbs. 
capacity, and they ran usually fifteen hours each day, 
employing ten men and eleven girls. The main product 
of this mill was hand-made paper, and from twelve hun- 
dred to fourteen hundred lbs. were turned out weekly. 
As to price of labor: The skilled engineer received about 
three dollars per week, vat-men and coucher three and a 
half dollars each without board; ordinary workmen and 
girls, seventy-five cents per week each; boys, sixty cents 
each, and they were given board. 

"It was here at this mill that Zenas Crane, a native 
of Dorchester, toiled at the trade of paper-making for 
several years previous to the summer of 1799, when he 
set out from Worcester to establish, in company with 
Henry Wiswell and Daniel Gilbert, a paper-mill in the 
western portion of Massachusetts, and succeeded so 
admirably in laying the foundations for a business that, 
through the careful and skillful management of Mr. 
Crane and his descendants, has assumed the most flatter- 
ing proportions, and whose trade-marks, known as 'The 
Old Berkshire,' 'Old Red Mill/ 'Pioneer Mill' and 
' Government Mill, ' stand for as good an article of paper 
as can be found in this country or perhaps any other." 

Mr. Thomas sold his paper-mill to Caleb and Elijah 
Burbank, of Sutton, February 24, 1798. This paper-mill 
was the second in the county and the eighth in the State. 



BUSINESS PRIOR TO 1820 21 

Another building was erected shortly after 1811, below 
the Thomas Mill, and used as a sickle-factory by Gardner 
Burbank, Elijah's son; afterwards it was converted into 
a paper-mill. This building was located in what is now 
the scrap-yard of the South Works of the American 
Steel & Wire Co. On February 24, 1827, the Elijah Bur- 
bank mill was burned. The fire was caused by spontane- 
ous combustion of cotton waste. The loss was $500. 

In 1778 the principal articles, aside from food and the 
ruder kinds of cloth, were imported, and mostly from 
England. The resident of Worcester could find steel, 
bar iron, choice brandy, New England and West Indian 
rum, coffee, alum, brimstone, powder and shot at the store 
of Samuel & Stephen Salisbury, on the north side of 
Lincoln Square, just east of the Salisbury mansion, where 
the depot now stands. 

Elisha Clark, at this time, followed the business of rope- 
making about two miles from the meeting-house, on the 
road to Sutton. 

Clock and watch-work was done in a small way, but 
not of a very fine grade, if we may judge from the follow- 
ing description of a watch supposed to have been stolen: 
"A large old-fashioned watch with the glass broken in 
three places and put together with putty." 

As a rule, shoemakers in the early days went from house 
to house, but in 1779 Nathan Heard appears to have 
established a small shoemaker's shop in Worcester. 

Daniel Waldo, to whom reference has been made, 
opened, in 1782, a store near the bridge over Mill Brook 
at Lincoln Square, where he offered for sale best Heart 
and Club German steel, bar iron, 4dy. and lOdy. nails, 
window-glass, Dutch looking-glasses, iron shovels, spades, 
saddlers' ware, and in general, an assortment of hardware 
and West India goods, choice Bohea tea, etc. 



22 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The firm of D. Waldo & Son. was dissolved December 
31, 1791; Daniel Waldo. Jr.. continued. 

In 1783, Abel Stowell manufactured clocks and watches 

in his shop south of the meeting-house, on the west corner 
of Park and Salem Streets. He made in 1800 the clock 
formerly in the Old South Chinch. The business of 
watch and clock-making appears to have been a con- 
siderable industry at this time. Benjamin Willard. of 
Grafton, who had an office with Isaiah Thomas, had sold 
two hundred and fifty-three eight-day clocks up to 1784. 

The art of hat-making was early practiced in Worcester; 
John Smith offered one shilling each for catskins in 17S2, 
and in 17S9 Nathan Blackburn advertises for an appren- 
tice in the hat-making business. 

In 17S9 Palmer & Daniel Colliding owned a tanyard. 
Almost every town had a tan-yard, and leather of suffi- 
ciently good quality was made to serve the needs of the 
shoemakers and saddlers in the immediate vicinity. 

Improvements in the simple conveniences for living 
were made from time to time, and in 1791 the apprecia- 
tion of the necessity for a cheap and satisfactory artificial 
light is found in the construction of a new candle machine, 
price, forty-five dollars. — with which it was claimed a boy 
couldmake three hundred and sixty rods of candles per day. 

Abraham Lincoln had a trip-hammer and grist-mill 
a few rods from the court-house, which he offered for sale 
in 1795. It must have been located on Mill Brook. 
The works are described as containing two pairs of bel- 
lows that go by water, a grindstone and mill all under 
one roof: "said works and grist-mill are as convenient 
and as well situated for custom as perhaps any hi the 
Commonwealth. " 

The desire for communication between the seaboard 
and Worcester appears to have been felt previous to 



BLACKSTONE CANAL 23 

March, 1796, when some persons formed an association 
at Providence for making a canal to Worcester, and they 
were at that time invited to a conference in Worcester 
at the tavern of Ephraim Mower. Later on, no doubt as 
a result of this meeting, a prospectus appeared setting 
forth the purpose of the Canal Company, which was to 
issue four thousand shares of stock at one hundred dollars 
each, which it was estimated would cover the cost of 
building the canal. Subscriptions were solicited in Wor- 
cester; William Paine (at Dr. Lincoln's store), Joseph 
Allen (at his office), Isaiah Thomas, Thomas Payson, 
Daniel Waldo, Jr., and Samuel Chandler were appointed 
to receive them. 

In October, 1796, a number of individuals petitioned 
the General Court for an act of incorporation for the 
purpose of cutting a canal from Great Pond in Worcester 
to Boston, but nothing was done at this time either with 
the Blackstone Canal or with the proposed canal to Bos- 
ton. In 1822 surveys were made for the Blackstone 
Canal, which was afterwards put into successful operation, 
as appears later in the narrative. 

In 1798 Daniel Denny had a card-factory on Mechanic 
Street near Main, opposite Mower's tavern (present site 
of Walker building); later, he moved to Main Street, 
opposite the present site of the Bay State House. He, 
no doubt, bought his wire of Daniel Waldo, who imported 
it, and who, at this time, announced " Sixteen casks of 
Wool and Cotton Card wire will be landed in a few days 
from the brigantine 'Aidar,' just arrived from Amster- 
dam." 

Dutch plows, made in Connecticut, were at this time 
for sale at Denny's store. 

Cornelius Stowell, the clothier, had, in 1785, a shop 
on the east corner of Park, now Franklin, and Orange 



24 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Streets. Abel (the clock-maker), Peter and Ebenezer 
were his sons. The two latter he took into partnership 
with him about 1790, when they began to manufacture 
woolen goods, print calicoes, carpets, dye and dress woolen 
goods. They had two fulling-mills, and dyed fine scarlet 
and deep blue colors in the best manner. 

In 1804 Peter & Ebenezer Stowell commenced to weave 
fine carpets, and at one time had six looms of their own 
invention and construction in operation. They made the 
first carpets used in the State-house at Boston. July 19, 
1809, a patent on wood screws was granted to Abel Stow- 
ell, and in January, 1816, he and his son were located on 
the Common, a few rods southwest of the Baptist meeting- 
house, where they conducted a miscellaneous business, 
dealing in stoves of cast and sheet iron, with their funnels, 
"as cheap as they can be purchased in Boston or any 
other place." Machinery of all kinds in brass and iron, 
particularly such as are used in carding and other factories; 
clocks for meeting-houses and printers' materials in iron 
and brass. Among his effects offered for sale by his ad- 
ministrators in May, 1819, was an undivided part of what 
is called the Black Lead Mine, consisting of two acres. 
This was, no doubt, what was later known as the Wor- 
cester Coal Mine. Black lead was procured here and 
ground into a paint, which was quite generally used. 

In January, 1808, Curtis & Goddard were busy making 
chaises, and at this time appear to have moved from 
opposite the jail to a building south of the bank. Samuel 
Newhall had taken the noted stand of John Johnson, 
where he intended carrying on the soap-making business. 
Thomas Stevens, cabinet-maker, states that he has pur- 
chased the right to make and sell two kinds of churns for 
several towns in the county. 



VARIETY OF MANUFACTURES 25 

In May, 1810, John Earle and Erasmus Jones erected 
a wool-carding machine to pick, break and card wool at 
the building known as Lincoln's Trip-hammer Shop, 
fifteen rods east of the court-house. 

At this time the number and variety of manufactures 
in Massachusetts appear to have increased considerably. 
Some idea of these, in 1810, may be had from a notice 
issued from the marshal's office in Boston, July 17th, 
asking for information in regard to the following indus- 
tries: tanneries, distilleries, sugar refineries, breweries, 
paper-mills, oil-mills, snuff-mills, chocolate-mills, gun- 
powder-mills, glass-works, fulling-mills, car ding-machines 
(going by water), hemp and flax spinning-mills, cotton 
and wool-spinning mills, rope-walks, furnaces, air fur- 
naces, forges, bloomeries, rolling and slit ting-mills, cut- 
nail factories, trip-hammers and steel-furnaces. 

The sudden increase in the variety of manufactures 
may be attributed to the embargo, declared in December, 
1807, and to the complications then existing between 
this country and France and England, which led to an 
almost complete stoppage of importations, and manufac- 
tories of cotton goods, woolen goods, iron, glass, pottery 
and other articles rapidly sprung into existence. 

Previous to the embargo, according to Hildreth, 1 
there were in the United States but fifteen cotton-mills 
with a total of eight thousand spindles. By the end of 
1809 eighty-seven mills were built, of which sixty-two 
were in operation — forty-eight by water and fourteen by 
horse-power — working thirty-one thousand spindles, and 
many more were in process of erection. Most of the saws 
used in Worcester in 1810 doubtless came from the works 
of Elijah Waters & Co., at Sutton, who kept on hand 
steel-plate and saw-mill saws of various sizes. 

Richard Hildreth's "History of the United States," Vol. Ill, p. 210. 



26 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

One of the earliest machine-shops in Worcester was 
that of Earle & Williams, in 1812, opposite the court- 
house, where they carried on the business of machine- 
making, and advertised for sale machinery for spinning 
cotton and wool, carding-machines, and brass castings. 
Their shop was destroyed by fire January 5, 1815. 

In April, 1813, the attention of shoe and boot-makers 
is called to a new and useful improvement, secured by 
patent, for putting shoes and boots together with copper 
nails, without any sewing. The patentee announces that 
he will attend at Captain Mower's tavern in Worcester 
(the site now occupied by Walker building) from the 
12th to the 20th instant, for the purpose of selling patent 
rights, and claims that the invention "has been proved to 
answer every purpose for beauty, ease and convenience, 
and vastly more durable, at a saving of about half the 
work, and remedies all the evils attending iron nails and 
wooden pegs. " 

In April, 1815, the Worcester Tannery is offered for 
sale. It is described as situated in the center of the town, 
and one of the most extensive and convenient establish- 
ments in the State, in perfect repair, and with all the 
accommodations and necessary tools for carrying on the 
business. 

" Through the middle of the yard runs a large brook, 
confined by a very handsome stone wall. A few rods 
from the tan-yard is a building in which bark is ground 
by water, and in which there is a patent bark-mill, strong 
and well-constructed." 

This is the tannery formerly referred to as owned by 
Samuel Johnson, and was located east of the present site 
of Exchange Hotel. 

Some reason for the sale of the tannery may be found 
in the heavy taxes upon leather. The other tanneries in 



TRADES PEOPLE DISCONTENTED 27 

different parts of the county appear to have suffered, for 
no less than nine are offered for sale during 1816 and 1817. 
The discontent of the workers and makers of leather, 
and others, finds expression in the following notice, which 
appeared May 31, 1815: 

Shoemakers ahoy! Have you been at the Collector's and given bonds, 
with two sufficient sureties, to pay duty upon your work? 

If you make a single boot or shoe above So value without giving bonds 
to secure the duty to Government, you do it at your peril, and are subject 
to a penalty of not less than S500! 

What is your situation better than that of Virginia negroes? You 
must account for every pair of boots you make to the Collector. You 
must tell how much you ask for them, whom you make them for, and 
how many pair you make; and, to crown the whole, all this must be done 
under oath. No, that does not crown the whole; one thing more, whenever 
a customer breaks, or runs away, or cheats you, in addition to the loss of 
the article itself, and the labor, you must pay the duty upon it to the 
Government! This is the crowning, the cap-sheaf. 

Silversmiths, carpenters, jobbers, hatters, tailors, tobacconists, boat- 
builders, tin-men, blacksmiths, and ye mechanics and manufacturers of 
all articles and commodities of whatever name and nature, be ye also 
ready. A fine of $500 awaits you unless you comply with the provisions 
of these arbitrary, iniquitous laws passed by Congress the 16th and 27th 
February, 1815. 

In May, 1815, Earle & Williams give notice that in 
addition to machinery for carding wool, they will have in 
operation, about the 1st of July, machinery for the spin- 
ning of wool, which can be spun at a rate greatly below 
the price of hand-spun. They also give notice, June 21, 
that, in connection with Asa Mann, they have in opera- 
tion, near Stone's tavern, south part of Leicester, machin- 
ery for carding wool. 

Joshua Hale, at the same time, states that he has put 
his machines for carding wool and spinning cotton in 
most excellent order, and attends them himself; also that 
he has for sale cotton yarn made of cotton selected by 
himself in Savannah, which he warrants to be the best. 



28 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

In September, 1815, Thomas & William Stowell adver- 
tise that they have improved the building lately occupied 
for a wire-factory, one and a half miles south of the meet- 
ing-house, where they have put their works in the best 
order for dressing cloth, and are in readiness to meet any 
demands in their business. It may be interesting to note, 
in passing, that at this time the postage to Boston, on 
single letters, was fifteen cents. 

John W. Lincoln, in January, 1816, advertises all sizes 
of nail-plates from the Millbury Rolling-Mill Company. 
This company was established in the latter part of De- 
cember, 1815, for the purpose of manufacturing nail- 
plates and rods. 

William Hovey, June, 1816, advertises a double carding- 
machine in operation for custom work at his factory, 
one mile south of the meeting-house in Worcester, where 
merino wool is carded in the best manner. 

October 2 he gives notice that he has taken George 
March into company with him, and that at Hovey's 
mill they will manufacture wool into cloth; price for 
spinning wool, three cents per skein. 

At this time considerable interest was manifested 
throughout the country in manufactures, and frequent 
meetings were held for the purpose of devising means 
for their encouragement. A committee of the Legislature 
in New York urged that members of Congress be in- 
structed to attempt to have the duties on woolen and 
cotton goods increased ; urged the public officers to clothe 
themselves in American cloth, and that manufactures be 
exempt from taxation, and manufacturers from serving 
in the militia, and from other public duties. 

It appears to have been quite popular at this time for 
American statesmen to appear in clothes of American 
manufacture. It is said that Henry Clay, when once in 



WORCESTER HONORABLE SOCIETY 29 

Millbury, was presented with a roll of blue broadcloth, 
the product of the mill of Colonel Sheppard, and Mr. Clay 
remarked that his next suit of clothes would show Con- 
gress what American manufacturers could do. 

Daniel Webster also had a suit of clothes made for his 
use in Washington from cloth made by the Goodell Manu- 
facturing Company, at Millbury, woven, very likely, 
upon looms made by W. H. Howard, of Worcester. 

The following notice appears in the Spy of October 22, 
1817: 

The Members of the Worcester Honorable Society, 
being prisoners for debt on parole, and deprived of the 
means of supporting themselves in prison, or their families 
at home, or of paying their debts, and unwilling their 
time and talents should be lost to themselves or to the 
public, hereby give information to their creditors and 
the good people of this vicinity that there are in the soci- 
ety those who can perform the business of farming, shoe- 
making, masons, clock and watch repairing, card making, 
mathematical and meteorological instrument making, 
painting and glazing, engraving, distilling, rope making, 
etc., and solicit a share of their patronage in the above- 
named kinds of business, which they can perform within 
the limits; and they engage they will promptly and faith- 
fully attend to all business entrusted to them. 

Worcester Gaol, Oct. 22, 1817. 

This is interesting, as indicating the variety of small 
manufactures carried on in and about Worcester at this 
time, and as illustrating the unfortunate working of the 
law then in force, which deprived many worthy men of 
any opportunity of escaping from their misfortunes. 

In October, 1819, the Worcester Agricultural Society 
gave its first exhibition. Among the Worcester exhibits 



30 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

of domestic manufactures were two pieces of kerseymere 
and one calf-skin, tanned and curried in two days by 
Reuben Wheeler. Nine skeins of tow yarn, from thirty- 
three to thirty-eight skeins to the pound, spun on a great 
wheel by a lady in Worcester. The judges noted with 
regret that no hoes, scythes, plows, wool, cotton and 
machine-cards were exhibited in a county which had 
long been distinguished for the manufacture of these 
articles, and, in their opinion, no cotton cloth sufficiently 
good was offered to be entitled to a premium. 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 31 



CHAPTER II 

Streams and Mill Privileges — Population of Worcester — Blackstone Canal 
— The Railroads — The First Expresses — The Old Coal Mine — Peat — 
Stage Lines. 

The introduction of steam-power, the opening of the 
Blackstone Canal and the railroads, have made it possi- 
ble for a large manufacturing city to grow where other- 
wise no considerable progress could have been made; 
for had it been necessary to depend altogether upon 
water-power, few large factories could have been located 
upon the small streams which constitute the head- 
waters of the Blackstone. 

These streams, nevertheless, have played a most 
important part, affording means for starting manufac- 
tories which have since so largely developed in size 
and variety; while the increased demand for power 
has been met by the introduction of steam-engines, 
through whose medium the waters which formerly were 
directly applied to the water-wheels, and whose capac- 
ity was consequently limited, are now equal to any 
demands which may be made upon them. For these 
reasons the water privileges and streams deserve prom- 
inent mention in any account of the manufacturing 
industries of Worcester. 

The Ramshorn stream, so called, rises in Ramshorn 
Pond, which lies two-thirds in Millbury and one-third in 
Sutton; it flows in a northerly direction and is joined 
by Kettle Brook in the northeasterly part of Auburn. 

Kettle Brook rises in Paxton, is fed by Lynde and 
Parsons Brooks, flows in a southerly direction and joins 
the Ramshorn stream, as above stated ; the united streams, 



32 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

known as French River, flow in a northeasterly direction. 
At New Worcester, Tatnuck and Beaver or Turkey 
Brooks unite with French River, and the course becomes 
a little south of east. At this point the stream is known 
as Middle River for about a mile; Mill Brook then 
joins it, and from this point the river is known as the 
Blackstone. 

Ramshorn Pond is owned by the manufacturers on 
the Blackstone River, who are assessed for all expenses 
and repairs. The pond and stream have a water-shed of 
nine thousand two hundred and fifty-five acres. There 
are five privileges on this stream, previous to its entering 
the town of Auburn. 

The first privilege was, in 1813, conveyed by Solomon 
Marble to Carter and David Elliot. The Elliots later 
deeded it to Amos Eddy and gave him a right to draw 
from the stream by a canal to the Savory Shop pond 
(the 2d privilege). From 1877 this mill property has 
remained in the Hoyle family, hosiery and woolen 
cloth being the product. Charles E. Hoyle, with a 
partner, ran the mill (on lease) on woolens about a year. 
After C. E. Hoyle and Edward Ramseyer retired, Edwin 
Hoyle and Thomas Windle again formed a partnership, 
which continued one year, for the manufacture of woolen 
cloth. Then Thomas Windle alone continued the busi- 
ness until January, 1904, when the mill was partly des- 
troyed by fire. The mill was later rebuilt and Edwin 
Hoyle carried on the manufacture of yarn. The looms 
in the mill were run by The Arconia Worsted Co. In 
1907, the loom department of the mill was leased for a 
few years to The Millbury Mills, an "Oxbridge company, 
which manufactured worsteds. Edwin Hoyle died in 
1910. Charles F. Day, a son-in-law of Mr. Hoyle, con- 
tinued the manufacture of yarn for a time. Later he 



STREAMS AND MILL PRIVILEGES 33 

rented the spinning machinery to George F. Geb. Mr. 
Day soon resumed the business and continued it until 
1913 in the interest of the estate of Edwin Hoyle. In the 
latter year, Mr. Day began the business of Wool-Scouring 
on a small scale, and the business has increased to such 
an extent that it is now one of the largest plants of the 
kind in the country. Water, steam, and electric power 
have successively been used. In 1915, all the cards and 
spinning machinery were removed from the mill and in 
addition to wool-scouring, the business of wool-sorting 
was conducted on a large scale. Mr. Day has prepared 
filter-beds for purifying the water of the stream. It may 
be said in this connection that no acid is used in the prep- 
aration of the wool as in some plants where carbonizing 
is done. The title of the firm is now The Ramshorn Mills, 
Charles F. Day, Proprietor. 

The second privilege on Ramshorn stream was known 
as Amos Eddy's Scythe and Trip-hammer Shop and then 
as the Savery privilege. Stephen A. Savery died in 
1895, and the privilege was little used for some years, 
until 1906, when it was bought by Henry W. Glover, 
manufacturer of tool-handles. He put in a new water- 
wheel, and made many improvements. This place has 
since been purchased by him and has been used in connec- 
tion with his business at the old Blanchard privilege for 
the manufacture of tool-handles. 

The third privilege was occupied by the old shop of 
Thomas Blanchard where the eccentric lathe was in- 
vented by him and is of considerable historic interest. 
Late in the year 1888, Henry W. Glover bought this 
privilege of James A. Dike who had used it for many 
years. The old shop used by Thomas Blanchard was 
torn down in 1889, 1 and a new shop was built on the site. 

1 I had a photograph taken of the Blanchard Shop in 1888 which is now in the possession 
of the Society of Antiquity. C. G. W. 



34 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

This building was destroyed by fire in 1900. A larger 
building was erected the same year which still exists. 
This shop is run by water, steam and electric power. 
Every description of tool-handles are made here and 
from various kinds of wood. A machine takes a block 
of wood squared and sawed the proper length and turns 
out an almost complete handle. A thimble put on, a little 
polishing, and the operations are completed. A year's 
stock, or more, is kept on hand in the store-houses 
connected with both mills. Since the purchase by 
Mr. Glover, he has bought land adjoining the pond 
in the rear of the mill and increased the extent of his 
storage water. 

In 1888 the fourth privilege was in possession of Thomas 
Windle, who was a Wool Dealer and carried on the Wool- 
Scouring business under the name of Millbury Scouring 
Co. While Thomas Windle was engaged in wool-scouring 
a portion of the mill was occupied by his sons, W. W. and 
A. D. Windle, in the carbonizing of wool. In 1898, the 
mill was destroyed by fire for the third time. His sons 
later separated, each occupying a portion of the mill 
which had been rebuilt. W. W. Windle moved his 
business to Bramanville in 1904 where it is still carried 
on by him. The mill which had been rebuilt after the 
fire of 1898, was burned and a small mill was erected to 
which additions were later made. In 1912, A. D. Win- 
dle became connected with the Manufacturers Wool 
Stock Co., which was located at Sutton, Mass., their 
mill having been destroyed by fire a short time before, 
the business of The Manufacturers Wool Stock Co. was 
removed to the mill of A. D. Windle at this privilege in 
West Millbury, where it was carried on until June, 1915, 
when the company was dissolved. The officers of the 
Manufacturers Wool Stock Co. were: Arthur D. Windle, 



STREAMS AND MILL PRIVILEGES 35 

President; Henry 0. Sutcliffe, Treasurer. They were also 
dealers in wool as well as wool-scourers. The business 
at this location is now carried on by A. D. Windle under 
the name of The Millbury Scouring Company. The 
latest improved machinery is used in the business, and 
electricity is the motor power used. Several millions of 
pounds of wool annually are treated here. Thomas 
Windle, the pioneer in the Wool-Scouring business at 
this location, died at his home in West Millbury, Decem- 
ber 24, 1906. 

The fifth privilege is occupied by John S. Rich in the 
making of shoddy. This is the last privilege on the 
Ramshorn stream in Millbury, before it enters Auburn 
at Larned's Village, or Pondville. There was a saw 
mill here at the sixth privilege as early as 1794; later a 
mill was built for the manufacture of woolen goods, which 
has since been used for worsteds. Pond & Larned form- 
erly owned this privilege. In 1887 this property was in 
possession of L. J. Knowles & Bro., and was operated 
by Kirk, Hutchins & Stoddard. Later it was owned by 
the heirs of F. B. Knowles. It was owned for several 
years by Wilkenson Crossley of Maynard, and later of 
Brookline. Since 1901 the mill has been run by The Pond- 
ville Woolen Co. The goods made here are shirtings and 
ladies' dress goods. Steam power is used. The company 
makes electricity for its lights. The employees are Poles, 
Lithuanians, French Canadians, and Irish. When run- 
ning at full capacity, the Company employs one hundred 
hands. The office from which their goods are sold is in 
New York. The mill has up-to-date fire equipment and 
a pump connection which can pump seven hundred fifty 
gallons of water a minute. During all the years since 
1888, various kinds of woolen goods and other material 
have been made at this mill. 



36 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The seventh privilege has long been known as Dunn's 
Mills ; here saw, grist and shingle-mills have been located 
at different times; plow handles, probably for Ruggles, 
Nourse & Mason, were at one time made here. The old 
mills were burned some time prior to 1888 and the pri- 
vilege was bought by James Hilton, an Englishman, who 
built a new mill for making shoddy. Since Mr. Hilton's 
death, in 1915, the mill, the property of his heirs, re- 
mained closed until recently, when the manufacture of 
shoddy has been resumed. 1 

A mile beyond, Kettle Brook and Ramshorn stream 
unite, not far from the French meadows, on the left of 
the Norwich and Worcester Railroad coming from 
Auburn to Worcester. Kettle Brook flows from a 
reservoir in Paxton, which was built and is owned by 
the mill-owners along the stream. I have heard the 
statement that this name was suggested by the deep 
basin near Parsons' privilege, which somewhat resembles 
a kettle. The first privilege was occupied by an old 
saw-mill, but little used and somewhat dilapidated, 
owned by the town of Leicester and originally known as 
Arnold's Mill. The pond is now used as a reservoir. 

The second privilege was formerly known as Mulberry 
Grove, and later, in 1889, Mannville, where satinets 
were manufactured by the Mann Brothers. All manu- 
facturing at this place has ceased and the privilege is 
now a part of the water system of Worcester. 

George Mann, one of the oldest and most widely 
known manufacturers in this section of Massachusetts, 
died in October, 1915, at his home near Mannville at the 
age of eighty-one. He had lived in Leicester practically 
all of his life. He was a member many years ago of the 

1 This property of thirty-one acres and the water privilege was acquired in January, 
1917, by the American Steel & Wire Company to ensure an additional water supply. 



STREAMS AND MILL PRIVILEGES 37 

firm of George Mann & Bro., proprietors of a mill in 
which narrow cotton warp fabrics were made. When 
Worcester took over Kettle Brook Water System, about 
fifteen years ago, the business was moved to East Brook- 
field, and conducted under the name of Mann & Stevens 
of which Mr. Mann was President. 

The third privilege is what was known as* Kent's, 
built by the father of P. G. Kent, formerly of James- 
ville, who first built a saw-mill, then changed it to a 
shoddy-mill, then into a satinet-mill, which was run by 
P. G. Kent & Brother for some years. The privilege 
has since become part of the water system of the City of 
Worcester. 

At the fourth privilege is located Bottomry's brick 
mill, built by him, and known as his third mill. It 
was at one time owned and operated by the late E. D. 
Thayer, and used for the manufacture of satinets. 

The fifth privilege was known as the Chapel Mill, 
built by L. G. Dickinson, and used for the manufacture of 
satinets. It was destroyed by fire in 1886 and later 
rebuilt. In 1897, Albert E. Smith and Channing Smith 
organized the Chapel Mill Corporation with a capital of 
$23,000. H. J. Brouard was President, Albert E. Smith 
was Secretary, and Channing Smith, Treasurer. In 
1898 the capacity of the mill was doubled. In 1903, 
they purchased the old Bottomly Brick Mill — still 
called by many the Brick City — property. The mill 
then standing was modernized and the capacity doubled 
at an expense of $80,000. This and the mill below are 
to-day known as The Chapel Mills Corporation. 
In 1905, the capital of the corporation was increased to 
$200,000. In 1910 it was again increased to $300,000. 
Dress goods and shirting flannels are made here. At 
these mills are twelve sets of cards and one hundred 



38 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

ninety-six narrow looms. The number of employees is 
about four hundred persons of many nationalities. Chan- 
ning Smith is President and Treasurer. 

The sixth privilege known as the Eli Collier Mill was 
also built by L. G. Dickinson, and was run on satinets, 
and for many years was run by Mr. Collier, L. B. Butler 
and John Shepard. It is now owned and operated by 
Channing Smith. Dress goods and shirting flannels 
are made here. About eighteen hands are employed. 

The seventh privilege was the Watson Mill, used 
for the manufacture of broadcloth. It was burned many 
years ago, and has never been rebuilt. 

The eighth privilege is the old mill built by Thomas 
Bottomly, an Englishman. This was one of the first 
mills built in this region, and is said to have been built 
before any of the mills on the stream. Mr. Bottomly 
was one of the pioneers in the broadcloth business, 
which he conducted at this mill for many years. It 
has been remodeled, and was run by Mr. Hodges who 
was succeeded by George W. Olney. The mill was 
subsequently run under the name of George W. Olney, 
Woolen Mill; established, 1874; incorporated, 1899. 
About one hundred hands were employed in the manu- 
facture of white flannels. November 22, 1916, the entire 
property was sold at auction. The purchasers were B. F. 
Northridge Co. and C. A. Brosnan. 

The ninth privilege, known as The Valley Wollen Mill, 
is one on which a mill was built by Thomas Bottomly 
for the manufacture of broadcloth, and was known as 
his second mill. 

1 Lynde Brook empties into Bottomly's Pond, and a 

1 March 30, 1876, Lynde Brook dam was carried away by a freshet. The writer wit- 
nessed the catastrophe. Bridges, dams, roads and dwellings were swept away, about 
5000 feet of the Boston and Albany R. R. was washed away. The aggregate damages 
paid by the City including the cost of the new dam were $227,000. 



STREAMS AND MILL PRIVILEGES 39 

short distance up this stream is the Worcester Reser- 
voir. This mill has passed through several hands, and 
in 1889 was owned and occupied by Albert E. Smith, 
who made woolen goods. In 1892, Mr. Smith associated 
with him as partner his son Channing Smith. The mill 
is now owned and operated by Channing Smith in the 
manufacture of Dress Goods and Flannels. The em- 
ployees, like those in all the mills here, are American, 
English, Irish, and French, and some other nationalities. 
The number of employees is one hundred twenty-five. 
When the partnership was formed in 1892, between Albert 
E. Smith and his son Channing, they had four sets of 
cards and forty-eight looms. Now the mill is running 
ninety-six looms. Many improvements have been made 
here during the past few years. A. E. & Channing Smith 
bought the old Eli Collier Mill in 1908. The latter mill, 
with the Valley Woolen Mill, are the property of and 
run by Channing Smith, independent of the Chapel Mills 
Corporation. Albert E. Smith, more familiarly known 
as "Doc" Smith, died in 1910. 

The tenth privilege was occupied by Robert Young for 
a saw-mill, which was afterwards changed into a satinet- 
mill. It was washed away in the Lynde Brook disaster. 
The privilege was then merged in the Ashworth & Jones 
privilege. 

The eleventh privilege was formerly occupied by a 
grist-mill, built by a Mr. Adams, who sold it to Wads- 
worth & Fowler. The grist-mill was torn down and 
replaced by a satinet-mill, which, after some time, was 
sold to Ashworth & Jones, who erected there a hand- 
some mill, one hundred and seventy by fifty feet, four 
stories high, which was run on beaver cloth. In 1886 
it was purchased by the late E. D. Thayer, Jr., who 
carried on a large business in the manufacture of woolen 



40 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

goods until his death in 1907. The business was con- 
tinued by his estate until 1910 when the property was 
sold to the George E. Duffy Manufacturing Co. of which 
George E. Duffy is President and Treasurer. One hun- 
dred seventy-five hands are employed in the manufacture 
of Overcoatings and Cloakings. Since the Duffy Com- 
pany came into possession, the Mill has been somewhat 
enlarged. It now has nine sets of cards and one hundred 
two broad looms in operation. The goods are sold in 
New York. This mill property is one of the finest on the 
stream. 

The twelfth privilege was originally occupied by a 
shingle-mill, then by a paper-mill, which was changed 
into a satinet-mill; it then passed into the possession of 
Ashworth & Jones, who connected it with the privilege 
next above. 

The thirteenth privilege was known as the Solomon 
Parsons property. It then passed into the hands of 
Mr. Darling. Satinets were manufactured here for a 
long time. The James ville Woolen Co. is now operating 
here. 

The fourteenth mill is known as Hunt's. This was 
also built by Solomon Parsons, and sold to Bellows & 
Darling. Cotton batting was first made here, and then 
satinets. L. D. Butler and Eli Collier came here in 
1882, and leased the property for three years of the Hunt 
heirs. In the summer of 1885, they bought the mill 
privilege. In 1888, Mr. Collier sold out his interest to 
Mr. Butler and Mr. Pfaffman. In 1899, Mr. Butler 
sold all his interest to Mr. Pfaffman, who continues the 
business. Forty hands are here employed, about equally 
divided between men and women. The nationalities 
of the employees are like the other mills on the stream — 
American, English, Irish, Canadian, French. 



STREAMS AND MILL PRIVILEGES 41 

The fifteenth privilege is that of the Standard Plunger 
Elevator Co. which employs about fifty hands, composed 
of Americans, English, Swedes, etc. The officers of the 
company are: A. B. Bridges, President; L. G. Hagen- 
buch, Treasurer; E. L. Dunn, Secretary. They are in- 
corporated under the law of Massachusetts. The capital 
of the company is S750,000. 

The sixteenth is the Jamesville privilege, which Ben- 
jamin James bought of the heirs of the Burnett estate. 
It was originally a saw-mill in the woods. Mr. James 
bought soon after 1850 and built the factory, which he 
ran on hosiery until about 1860; he then changed to army 
cloth, and after that to fancy cassimeres. It was run 
up to the time of Lynde Brook disaster, 1876, when the 
dam was destroyed, the water plowing twenty feet be- 
neath the dam. The mill was rebuilt and run on cassi- 
meres until about 1880. It passed through several hands, 
and finally came into the possession of P. G. Kent & Co., 
who enlarged the mill and made satinets. There is 
quite a village at this point, a chapel and depot. The 
Pan-American Match Co. now occupies the mill and 
privilege. 

The seventeenth privilege was in 1889 occupied by the 
Stoneville Mill. The waters of Kettle Brook come into 
the Stoneville Pond at the end nearest New Worcester; 
at the other end a stream comes in which has been known 
as Young's Brook, and by other names. About a mile 
up this stream was an old paper-mill, erected about 
1834 by Nathaniel S. Clark and Daniel Heywood. Kettle 
Brook, with this stream, carried the Stoneville Mill, 
operated by the Stoneville Worsted Company in the 
manufacture of yarn for the carpet-mill of William J. 
Hogg, as it was then. In 1834 Jeremy Stone owned 



42 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

this mill; it then went into the possession of Edward 
Denny, next of A. L. Ackley, and later was changed from 
woolen to cotton goods. 

John Smith bought the mill about 1858, and it was 
subsequently run by his sons — C. W. & J. E. Smith — 
for many years. The Ettrick Mills have occupied this 
privilege since 1894 in the manufacture of Brussels 
Carpets and Rugs. 

About a mile from this point Mill Brook joins the 
Ramshorn stream, and thence proceeds through the 
French Meadows, and is known as the French River. 

At the next privilege Mr. Trowbridge, grandfather of 
the late William T. Merrifield, built, in 1810, a mill for 
the manufacture of cotton yarns. There had previously 
been a saw-mill, and possibly a grist-mill at this point. 
At this time Joshua Hale was carding wool at the privi- 
lege once occupied by the late Albert Curtis. The farmers 
were in the habit of taking their wool to Mr. Hale to 
have it carded and spun, and bought their yarn at Trow- 
bridgeville, doing the weaving at their own homes. 

Tatnuck Brook has a water-shed of eight thousand 
nine hundred and forty-three acres. Upon an old map, 
published in 1784, a trip hammer-mill, a corn-mill, and 
a saw-mill are found upon Tatnuck Brook, within the 
limits of the town of Worcester. The first mill recollected 
by those now living is a saw-mill in Holden, owned by a 
man named Hall; this was prior to 1850. The second 
privilege was near the outlet of the present reservoir, 
where there was another saw-mill. 

The third privilege was at Tatnuck, where satinets 
were manufactured. The ruins of this mill stood here 
for some years. Nothing remains now but an ice house. 

On the fourth privilege was the old mill built in 1834 
for David T. Brigham, in Tatnuck, near the bridge on 



STREAMS AND MILL PRIVILEGES 43 

the road to New Worcester. It was built by the late 
William T. Merrifield in 1834. Prior to 1885, the late 
E. D. Thayer made satinets here. Frank C. Smith, the 
present owner and operator of the mill, acquired posses- 
sion in 1885. He manufacturers woolen goods. The 
mill has been enlarged and a new dye house built. There 
are forty-five employees and thirty-six looms are operated. 

At the fifth privilege, Patch's saw and grist-mills 
were located, long since, but within the memory of many 
now living, abandoned. 

The sixth privilege was a small mill, and the seventh, 
the upper privilege now occupied by Loring Coes & Co., 
Inc. This and the lower privilege on Leicester Street 
are more particularly described in that part of this book 
which treats of the wrench business. 

Tatnuck Brook was known at one time as Half- Way 
River, as the bridge at New Worcester was half-way 
from Boston to Springfield. On its tributary, Turkey 
or Beaver Brook, a saw-mill was located in 1784, the 
remains of which can now be seen. 

At the junction of Tatnuck Brook and Ramshorn 
Brook was the old original dam which was removed by 
the late Albert Curtis about 1845. The privilege once 
occupied by factories of Albert Curtis and Curtis & 
Marble is described elsewhere. 

Next to this privilege is the one occupied in 1889 by the 
Hopeville Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of 
satinets. This was occupied by Thomas Sutton in 1831, 
where he put in the first iron water-wheel in the country. 
Sutton's original mill was burned in 1862. About 1848 
there was a cotton-mill here run by S. H. Thayer. This 
was formerly known as Hornville, so called because, 
when the first mill was built, there was no bell, and the 
help were called to work with a horn. The first mill 



44 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

located here was a grist-mill. Bigelow & Barber bought 
the privilege in 1853. 

Next come the carpet-mills, once the location of White 
& Boyden's machine-shop, where the late Albert Curtis 
learned his trade. Hatch and Gunn here commenced the 
manufacture of broadcloth in 1827; they were the first 
in Worcester to make woolen goods throughout. Then 
comes the Wicks Manufacturing Company, who recently 
commenced the manufacture of worsted suitings. 

The next privilege is the one formerly occupied by the 
Worcester Wire Company, now the Central works of 
the American Steel & Wire Co., which has been used as 
a manufacturing site for many years and for many differ- 
ent purposes. 

Upon the map previously referred to published in 
1784, North Pond is said to cover thirty acres of ground. 
John Pierce's map, 1795, gives the area of North Pond 
forty acres, and indicates that in that year there were in 
Worcester five grist-mills, six saw-mills, one paper-mill. 
Near where Mill Brook leaves North Pond there were 
situated, in 1784, two fulling-mills; just southeast of the 
court-house was a trip-hammer shop. Between the two 
and just north of Lincoln Square the old mill of Captain 
Wing was located in 1685. Then a grist-mill, probably 
on the site of the Crompton Loom-Works, and a saw- 
mill was located at Quinsigamond, with the statement 
that " there is soon to be a paper-mill." 

Mill Brook has a water-shed of seventy-seven hundred 
and fifty acres. The first privilege below North Pond 
Dam was occupied by a cotton-mill built by George T. 
Rice and Horace Chenery, about 1830. 

Below this privilege, on Neponset Street, is now located, 
since 1912, the plant of the M. K. Smith Company, 
manufacturers of builders finish of all kinds, employing 



STREAMS AND MILL PRIVILEGES 45 

sixty operatives, more or less. A part of the building 
is occupied by the Worcester Felt Shoe Company. 

The second was a factory built by Frederick W. Paine 
for Washburn & Goddard, and occupied by them until 
1834; then by Goddard & Parkhurst until 1838, when it 
was leased for a short time by Ichabod Washburn, and 
was later occupied by William Crompton until it was 
burned in February, 1844. A. II. Sears now (1916) 
living at the age of 93, worked in this mill in 1836 making 
blunt-pointed screws for Goddard & Parkhurst. The 
present buildings were erected after the fire of 1844. 

The Bay State Tool Handle Co., A. R. Dyke pro- 
prietor, has occupied this site since 1908. The buildings 
and privilege have been owned since 1912 by the Ameri- 
can Steel and Wire Co. 

The third privilege was the old tannery privilege 
originally built by Dr. William Paine, father of F. W. 
Paine, for a grist-mill, which was run by the family for 
many years. 

About 1836, N. Eaton & Co. had a paper-mill here. 
The Olivers, stove dealers, next used the privilege to 
grind black lead. In the fall of 1854, Samuel Warren 
purchased the property of Mrs. Oliver, and ran it as a 
tannery until 1885. Mr. Warren's ancestors on both 
sides for three generations were tanners. His main 
business was to supply the cardmakers with their leather. 
This water privilege was purchased about 1888 by the 
late Stephen Salisbury, Senior. 

The fourth privilege is Grove Mill, where the late 
Stephen Salisbury, Sr. built a wire-mill for Ichabod 
Washburn in 1834, now the location of the North Works 
of the American Steel & Wire Co. 

The fifth, Court Mills privilege. Abraham Lincoln 
had a triphammer shop here in 1795; Earle & Williams a 



46 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

machine shop in 1812, and a bark-mill was probably 
run in connection with the old tannery located just back 
of Exchange Hotel in 1815. 

Before Court Mills was burned there was an old one- 
story building located here, used in 1828 by William 
Hovey for the manufacture of shears and straw-cutters. 
The basement of the new Court Mills was built of the 
stones which came from the old jail, which stood on the 
square facing the present depot. Howard & Dinsmore 
took the first lease of the Court Mills, and were succeeded 
by Samuel Davis. 

The sixth privilege was built by F. W. Paine, at the 
corner of School and Union Streets. Here was located 
a small wooden building, thirty by eighteen, two stories 
high; the basement was occupied by W. H. Howard, 
lead pipe manufacturer; the second story by Calvin 
Darby, who ran a carding-machine. Mr. Howard was 
bought out by Ichabod Washburn in 1822, and January 1, 
1823, Mr. Washburn and Benjamin Goddard formed a 
partnership, and at the same time bought out Calvin 
Darby. They manufactured woolen machinery here 
until their removal to North ville, in 1831. March, 
Hobart & Co. succeeded them. The premises have been 
occupied by various parties from 1822 in the manufacture 
of woolen machinery. 

The seventh privilege was called Flagg Mills, after- 
wards known as the Red Mills, and owned by William B. 
Fox. The Red Mills were occupied by sash and blind 
and cutlery manufacturers, while from the same priv- 
ilege was obtained power which ran the woolen-mill of 
Fox and Rice, on the other side of the street. This 
privilege was sold, and the site became part of the sewage 
system in the mayoralty of James B. Blake. 



MILL BROOK— POPULATION 47 

The eighth privilege was occupied by the upper and 
lower paper-mills at Quinsigamond, later by the South 
Works of Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company 
since acquired by the American Steel & Wire Company. 

The ninth and last privilege in Worcester was occupied 
by the Perry Grist-Mills, which were built in 1831. 

Mill Brook has played an important part in the develop- 
ment of the manufacturing interests of Worcester, and 
three distinct privileges on this stream have been occupied 
by wire factories, while the first experiments of Ichabod 
Washburn were conducted at the location of the Lombard 
Factory, on School Street. The first wire-mill was lo- 
cated at Northville, and later was moved down the stream 
to the Grove Mill privilege, and later still the Quinsig- 
amond privilege was used for this business. Mill Brook 
has for many years been condemned to the main sewer 
shortly after it leaves the works of the American Steel 
& Wire Company, in Grove Street, from which it emerges 
into the Blackstone, just below the works at Quinsiga- 
mond. 

It was not until 1820 that Worcester took first rank 
among the towns of the county. The census of 1765-76 
gave Worcester the fifth place in population, following 
Sutton, Lancaster, Mendon and Brookfield. In 1790, 
1800 and 1810 Worcester stood third in order, Brook- 
field and Sutton preceding. 

In 1820 Worcester took first place, and from that 
time to the present has shown a constantly increasing 
percentage of the increase in the population in the county. 
That percentage amounted to something over eleven per 
cent for the decade ending 1830, and over fifty per cent 
for the decade ending 1880; while of the increase (17,142) in 
the population of the county between 1880 and 1885, 
10,098, or nearly fifty-nine per cent, belongs to the city 



48 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

of Worcester; and of the population of the county, which 
was 244,039 in 1885, Worcester had 68,389, or a little 
over twenty-eight per cent. In 1910 the population of 
the county was 399,657 and of the city 145,986 a little 
less than thirty-seven per cent. In 1820 the population 
of the city of Worcester was 2,962, and of the county 
73,625. 

This brings us to the time of the building of the Black- 
stone Canal between Worcester and Providence, which 
marks an important epoch in the progress of Worcester, 
and too much credit cannot be given its projectors for 
appreciating the necessity to Worcester of communica- 
tion with the seaboard. It is true that the canal was 
never of great practical value, by reason of the better 
facilities for business afforded by the railroads. It is 
equally true that without the railroads the canal would 
have ensured the growth and prosperity of the town. 

The plan of making a navigable water-way from 
Providence to Worcester was first suggested, in 1796, 
by John Brown, of Providence, and his associates, but 
the Legislature of Massachusetts, failing to assent to 
an act of incorporation, it was not then carried into 
execution. 

In May, 1822, " Gentlemen who are friendly to the 
project of a canal from Worcester to Providence are 
requested to meet at Colonel Sikes' Coffee-house on 
Friday evening, at seven o'clock." Another meeting 
was held on May 24, and a committee appointed, 
upon which the following gentlemen served: Levi 
Lincoln, John Davis, John W. Lincoln, William E. 
Green, John Milton Earle, Edward D. Bangs. 

In September, 1822, the surveys of the canal were 
completed. According to the report of the committee, 
the length of the canal would be forty-five miles and 



BLACKSTONE CANAL 49 

the descent from Thomas Street to tide-water in Pro- 
vidence 4513/2 feet. 

The ground was bored every twelve rods for the whole 
distance, and upon the route selected no rock was found 
within the depth of excavation. The engineer reported, 
"I have come to the conclusion that a canal 32 feet 
wide at the top, 18 feet at the bottom and 334 feet depth 
of water, would be the proper size to be formed, and that 
locks of 70 feet between the gates and 10 feet in width 
would be sufficiently large for the trade intended." 

The estimated expense of the work, including locks, 
was $323,319. 

The excavation in Rhode Island was commenced 
in 1824, and a meeting of the Blackstone Canal Company 
was called at the Thomas Coffee-House, Worcester, 
April 9, 1825, for the purpose of forming a corporation. 

Great expectations were formed of the amount of 
business that would be done, and it was claimed that 
the canal would more than double the value of real 
estate within six miles of it. The subscription books 
for $400,000 of the capital stock, were opened in Pro- 
vidence, April 27; three times the required amount 
was subscribed for, and the stock sold at a premium. 

In May, 1826, the canal was located in the village of 
Worcester. 

Fears were entertained in Boston at this time that 
the canal would divert trade from Boston to Providence; 
to counteract this, a plan for a railway between Wor- 
cester and Boston was proposed. It is related that a 
wag, happening to be in town when the account of the 
sale of canal stock was received, was asked what the 
Boston folks would do when they heard of that. "Oh," 
replied he, "they will rail a-way!" 



50 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The first canal-boat to arrive in Worcester was the 
"Lady Carrington," which arrived from Providence 
October 7, 1828, and moored in the basin in Central 
Street at head of canal, at eleven o'clock, and was ad- 
vertised "To take passengers for Millbury to-morrow 
morning, returning in the evening, and she will remain 
here during the present week for the accommodation of 
parties." 

The arrival of the "Lady Carrington," according 
to an account in the National JEgis, October 8, 1828, 
"was greeted on passing the locks by the cheers of 
the multitudes assembled. On reaching the Front and 
Central Streets bridges continued cheers hailed its 
approach. At eleven o'clock the boat arrived in the 
basin, and the commissioners and the crowd assembled 
were addressed by Colonel Merrick, chairman of the 
Board of Selectmen, who expressed the sentiments 
appropriate to the occasion. On the conclusion of his 
remarks, enthusiastic cheers, the thunders of cannon and 
the peal of bells welcomed the visitant to the town. 
The commissioners and other gentlemen of both States 
were passengers on the boat, and with the gentlemen of 
the town partook of a collation at the house of the 
Governor." 

The following notice appears in the Spy at this time: 

Port of Worcester, October 8, 1828, Arrived yesterday, Canal-boat 
"'Lady Carrington," Captain Dobson, from Providence, with slate and 
grain for Nathan Heard. 

At the end of October "Lady Carrington" arrived 
in Providence loaded with domestic goods — butter, 
cheese, coal and paper. 

The following extracts, taken from the papers of 
the day, will give some notion of the amount and char- 
acter of the goods shipped: 



BLACKSTONE CANAL 51 

Canal-boat "Providence," Captain Dobson, with 10,000 lbs. lead pipe 
from T. & J. Sutton, machinery from William Hovey, and iron castings 
from Sumner Smith. 

Departed, boat "Massachusetts" for Providence, with 26 casks of 
beer and 11 hogsheads from Trumbull & Ward. 

Arrived, canal-boat "Worcester," Captain Green, from Providence 
with 3457 lbs. of iron for Washburn & Goddard, 4169 lbs. of lead to J. & 
T. Sutton, 13 bales of cotton, 3 tons of logwood and one ton of copperas 
for William Buffum, Jr. 

There were three serious drawbacks to the prosperity 
and profits of the canal, which soon made it unpopular 
with most of its stockholders and patrons. Unfortu- 
nately, a portion of the canal was located in the Black- 
stone River, and boats were more or less delayed in high, 
and also in low water, and in some seasons for weeks were 
detained with goods which were wanted for immediate 
use or sale. In some years the canal was, for four or five 
months, closed with ice. In a season of drought the 
manufacturers were jealous of the boatmen drawing so 
much water, and on several occasions in Rhode Island 
the owners of the mills and of the water-power ordered 
large loads of stone tipped into the canal-locks to prevent 
the boats from passing, which almost excited a riot among 
the boatmen, and some of the mill-owners were afraid 
their mills would be fired, as they had been threatened. 1 

April 22, 1846, the Spy states that the canal com- 
pany had sold all that portion of the canal in Massa- 
chusetts, with all the privileges and franchises, except 
the reservoirs, for the sum of twenty-two thousand 
five hundred dollars to the Providence and Worcester 
Railroad Company, and April 25, 1849, the locks, boats 
and water-rights were advertised for sale. The last 
toll was collected November 9, 1848, but meantime 
more efficient means of communication between the sea- 
board and Worcester was afforded by the railroads. 

1 "History of the Blackstone Canal," by Colonel I. Plummer. 



52 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

In March, 1831, subscription books were to be found 
at the banks, where those who wished could subscribe 
to the stock for a railroad from Boston to Worcester. 

The Boston and Worcester Railroad Company was 
chartered June 23, 1831, to build a line from Boston 
to Worcester, — a distance of forty-four miles. A train 
was run through to Worcester July 4; but it was not 
until July 6, 1835, that the road was formally opened, 
although the cars had, for some time previous, been 
running from Boston to Westboro, and, as early as 
April 16, 1834, to Newton. The train of July 6 to 
Worcester consisted of twelve cars drawn by two locomo- 
tives, and contained the president, directors, stock- 
holders and invited guests to the number of about three 
hundred. 

The train, which left Boston at a quarter before ten, 
arrived in Worcester at about one o'clock. It was met 
by a committee, of which Charles Allen was chairman; 
a procession was formed under the direction of General 
Nathan Heard, and proceeded to the Town Hall, where 
a collation was served and speeches made. At four 
o'clock the train started on the return trip to Boston. 

At the Insane Asylum, when the first locomotive 
passed, one of the inmates remarked: "Well, that beats 
the very devil; I never before saw a critter go so fast 
with such short legs!" 

In April, 1836, the business of the Boston and Wor- 
cester Railroad Company was said to have been more 
than double the amount of that of the corresponding 
time of the year preceding; passenger cars were well 
patronized, and there was more freight than the company 
was prepared to care for. During the first five months 
of 1837 the receipts were twenty-six thousand dollars 



RAILROADS 53 

more than during the same period in 1836, and continued 
to show a steady increase. 

The Western Railroad Company was chartered 
February 15, 1833, to construct a line from the terminus 
of the Boston and Worcester Railroad to Springfield, 
and thence to the western boundary of the State. A 
mass-meeting was held in Faneuil Hall, Boston, October 
7, 1835, to take measures to ensure the subscription to 
the capital stock of $2,000,000. This was accomplished 
and the following winter the Legislature authorized a 
subscription of $1,000,000 in behalf of the State, making 
the capital stock $3,000,000. At this meeting Edward 
Everett made a speech, in which he insisted upon the 
importance to Massachusetts of " Communication with 
the West." 

Trains commenced their regular trips between Spring- 
field and Worcester October 1, 1839. The time occupied 
in making the journey was about three hours. A public 
dinner was given in Springfield in honor of the opening 
of the road, October 3, 1839, on which occasion Edward 
Everett said : 

Let us contemplate the entire railroad, with its cars and engines, as 
one vast machine. What a portent of art! Its fixed portion one hun- 
dred miles long; its movable portion flying across the State like a weaver's 
shuttle. By the seaside in the morning, here at noon; and back in the 
compass of an autumnal day. And the power which puts all in motion, 
most wondrous, a few buckets of water! . . . Did we live in a poetic 
age, we have now reached the region where the genius of steam communi- 
cation would be personified and embodied. Here we should be taught 
to behold him a titanic colossus of iron and of brass, instinct with elemental 
life and power, with a glowing furnace for his lungs and streams of fire 
and smoke for the breath of his nostrils! With one hand he collects the 
furs of the artic circle, with the other he smites the forests of Western 
Pennsylvania. He plants his right foot before the source of the Missouri 
and his left on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and gathers in his bosom 
the overflowing abundance of the fairest and richest valley on which the 
circling sun looks down. 



54 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

September 14, 1867, the two Massachusetts corpo- 
rations were consolidated under the name of the Bos- 
ton and Albany Railroad Company, and on December 
28, 1870, a further consolidation was effected with the 
New York roads, thus forming the present organization. 
The Boston and Albany Railroad Company was leased to 
the New York Central and Hudson River R. R. Co. for a 
period of ninety-nine years from November 15, 1899. 

The Norwich and Worcester Railroad Company 
was chartered in March, 1833. The first meeting of 
the company was held at Webster, July 1, 1835. The 
length of the route surveyed was a little short of sixty 
miles, and passed through thriving villages, while upon 
the banks of the adjacent streams there was said to be 
water-power sufficient to carry one million spindles; 
the number of cotton-mills was seventy-five and of 
woolen-mills twenty-seven, exclusive of Worcester and 
New London. There were said to be one hundred and 
forty manufacturing establishments between Norwich 
and Worcester, within five miles of the road. Though 
fifteen miles longer than the Boston and Worcester 
Railroad, it was estimated it would cost five hundred 
thousand dollars less. Regular trips between Worcester 
and New London commenced March 9, 1840, and the 
fare to New York by this route was fixed at five dollars. 

The Norwich and Worcester R. R. Co. was leased to 
the New England R. R. Co. for a period of ninety-nine 
years from February 9, 1869. This lease was later 
assumed by the New York, New Haven and Hartford 
R. R. Co. 

R. W. Whiting, Nov. 21, 1838, advertises that, hav- 
ing made arrangements with the Boston and Worcester 
Railroad Co. to occupy a part of a car, to be run with 
the passenger train to Boston in the morning and back 



EXPRESSES 55 

in the afternoon, commencing on Monday, 26th of 
November, he will take charge of all packages, bundles, 
etc., which may be entrusted to his care, and will see 
them safely delivered the same day, and that he will 
also transact with promptness any other business com- 
mited to his care. He had an order-box at the Temperance 
Exchange, Railroad Depot and the American Temperance 
House, where he could be found after seven in the even- 
ing and before seven in the morning. 

William F. Harnden has always been credited with 
being the father of the American Express system. His 
advertisement is found in the Spy of June 24, 1840, 
where he announces that the Worcester, New York, 
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston Baggage Express 
will commence July 1, 1840, running daily, and that he 
will forward in his express car daily, packages, bundles, 
etc., to and from each of the above named places, — 
to Boston by steamboat-train every morning, and to 
New York every afternoon at half-past four. 

All packages must be marked Harnden's Express, and sent to his office, 
N. Tead's Hat Store, one door north of the Post-Office, Worcester. 
Simeon Thompson, agent, Worcester. 

Wm. F. Harnden, Prop., 

8 Court Street, Boston. 

S. S. Leonard, in the Spy of August 12, 1840, adver- 
tises an express between Boston and Worcester. 

September 2, 1840, Burke & Co. advertise the New 
York and Boston Baggage Express, via Norwich and 
Worcester, run by the subscribers, P. B. Burke & Alvin 
Adams. Packages to be left at J. B. Tyler's, Worcester. 

The question of a railroad between Providence and 
Worcester, a distance of forty-three miles, was seri- 
ously discussed as early as 1837, but nothing was done 
for several years. In August, 1845, the enterprise came 
nearly to a stand-still, although eight hundred thousand 



56 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

dollars had been subscribed under the Rhode Island 
charter and one hundred thousand dollars under the 
Massachusetts charter; but the Rhode Island charter 
required that the whole capital of one million dollars 
should be taken up before the company could proceed. 
The amount was finally raised, and a consolidation was 
effected November 4, 1845, of the Massachusetts and 
Rhode Island Companies, each of which was chartered 
in 1844. The main line was opened in October, 1847, 
when a train, made up of nine covered cars and twelve 
or thirteen open cars, drawn by three powerful engines, 
arrived in Worcester with twelve hundred passengers 
from Providence and towns on the line. 

This road was leased for a period of ninety-nine years 
from July 1, 1892, to the New York, New Haven and 
Hartford R. R. Co. 

The Worcester and Nashua Railroad Company, or- 
ganized in November, 1846, was a consolidation of a 
company of the same name, chartered in Massachu- 
setts, March 5, 1845, and the Groton and Nashua Rail- 
road Company, chartered in New Hampshire, December 
4, 1844. The road was opened from Worcester to Nashua, 
a distance of forty-six miles, December 18, 1848. The 
Nashua and Rochester Railroad Company was chartered 
July 5, 1867, and opened from Rochester to Nashua, a 
distance of forty-eight miles, November 24, 1874. 
William A. Wheeler was one of the principal promoters 
of the Nashua Railroad, and was the superintendent of 
construction. 

December 1, 1883, the Worcester and Nashua and 
Rochester railroads were consolidated under the name of 
the Worcester, Nashua & Rochester Railroad Company, 
which company was leased to the Boston & Maine Rail- 



RAILROADS 57 

road Company October 30, 1885, for fifty years from 
January 1, 1886, and subsequently purchased by it. 

The Boston, Barre & Gardner Railroad Company, 
running from Worcester to Winchendon, a distance of 
thirty-six miles, was chartered April 24, 1847, as the Barre 
& Worcester Railroad Company, and April 24, 1857, as 
the Boston, Barre & Gardner Railroad Company. It 
was opened to Gardner, September 4, 1871, and to Win- 
chendon, January 4, 1874. It was taken possession of 
by the Fitchburg Railroad Company March 7, 1885, and 
merged in the latter company as a branch, July 1, 1885, 
and later with the parent system passed into the control 
of the Boston & Maine R. R. Co. 

It will thus be seen that from an early day Worcester 
had the advantages of the best railroad facilities, and to 
this, and to the introduction of steam-power, is to be most 
largely attributed her rapid growth as a manufacturing 
city. In 1889 there was not only direct communication 
with all points north and south, but there were five outlets 
and thirteen different lines, more or less, affording direct 
communication with the West. Edward Everett's wish, 
so strongly expressed in his speech in Faneuil Hall prior 
to the opening of the Western Railroad, was most abun- 
dantly fulfilled. 

In 1823 attention was called to the advantages possessed 
by Worcester which should make it a large manufacturing 
center. Encouragement was found in the fact that towns 
in the interior of England, with no greater local advan- 
tages, have contained from 10,000 to 15,000 inhabitants, 
and since the introduction of steam-power, a population 
of from 80,000 to 100,000 has been reached. It was stated 
that Worcester would soon be at the head of canal navi- 
gation, and in addition, her " inexhaustible store of an- 



58 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

thracite coal, well calculated for steam-engines," was 
referred to as being of the greatest value. Considerable 
attention was given in 1823 to the examination of the 
anthracite coal deposits, which were located northeast of 
the city, west of Plantation Street, and near its junction 
with Lincoln Street, now known as the Old Coal Mine. 

The coal was said to be of the same variety as the Rhode 
Island, Schuylkill and Lehigh coal, and was found, accord- 
ing to statements then made, to ignite easier than any 
of them and to burn longer. Careful comparisons were 
made of the relative value of these different varieties 
and the result, with a given quantity of each, showed as 
follows : 

Worcester coal lasted five hours; Lehigh, four hours 
twenty-five minutes; Rhode Island, three hours thirty-six 
minutes. The thermometer was raised by the Worcester 
coal to one hundred and seventy-nine degrees; by the 
Lehigh, to one hundred and sixty; by the Rhode Island, 
to one hundred and thirty-four. 

The Worcester coal burned brighter than the others, 
and with more flame. It was confidently asserted that 
when the Blackstone Canal should be completed Worces- 
ter coal would be the cheapest fuel for Providence; it was 
estimated, however, that the Worcester coal was more 
impure than the Lehigh, containing a considerable por- 
tion of earthy matter that remained in the form of ashes 
after burning; but, in spite of this, it was thought that it 
would answer a valuable purpose. Tests were made at 
the Worcester Brewery, which appear to have been satis- 
factory, for in February, 1824, application was made to 
the General Court for the incorporation of the Massa- 
chusetts Coal Company, to ascertain the quality and 
quantity of the coal, and expense of mining and convey- 
ing it to market. 



THE OLD COAL MINE— PEAT 59 

For the next two years it appears to have been used 
as the principal fuel in the brewery of Trumbull & Ward, 
and was also used in Col. Gardner Burbank's paper-mill. 
It was found there, that about half of the bulk of the coal 
remained after the fire subsided, but upon replenishing 
with new coal it was mostly consumed in the second burn- 
ing, and Colonel Burbank found the expense of keeping 
a fire with this coal to be less than the expense of cutting 
wood and tending fire, if the wood were delivered at the 
door free of expense. 

In December, 1827, the proprietors of the brewery 
burned coal taken from the land of William E. Green, 
which was a little distance from the mine, but appeared 
to be of a somewhat better quality. 

Work at the coal mine must have been prosecuted with 
some vigor, for in February, 1828, fifteen or twenty young 
men and a blacksmith were wanted to work there. In 
November, 1828, an opening twelve feet wide and eight 
feet high had been carried into the hill about sixty feet, 
at a descent of about twenty-five degrees, and a railway 
was laid, on which the coal was carried from the mine to 
the place of deposit, in loads of fifteen hundred pounds. 

In February, 1829, the Worcester Coal Company was 
incorporated, and in March, 1829, the Worcester Railway 
Company, with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, with 
authority to build a railway from the mine to Lake Quin- 
sigamond and to the Blackstone Canal, but the enterprise 
appears to have been abandoned shortly afterwards. The 
coal was found to be too impure for economical use. 

It was somewhat humorously said that there was a d 

sight more coal after burning than there was before. 

Peat also was found in the meadows about Worcester. 
In 1856 it was burned in the Wire Factory as a substitute 
for wood and coal; in three years nearly two thousand 



60 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

cords were used in this way, and it was found that a cord 
of well-seasoned peat would produce as much heat as a 
cord of dry oak wood; and a cord and a half of peat would 
generate as much steam as a ton of anthracite coal. 

It was estimated that peat could be used to good ad- 
vantage for manufacturing purposes at a saving of from 
thirty-three and one-third to fifty per cent over any other 
kind of fuel. It had the remarkable quality of keeping 
fire a long time, even burning for a week after the fire had 
gone down. In April, 1856, the Worcester Peat Com- 
pany was formed, but no business of consequence appears 
to have been done by it. It was no doubt found that coal 
was the cheaper fuel. 

In June, 1827, Worcester is spoken of as containing 
"the large paper-mills belonging to Elijah Burbank, five 
machine shops, at which great quantities of machinery 
of various kinds are made, one small Cotton factory, a 
Lead aqueduct factory and other works of minor note. " 

Prior to 1813 there was no stage or mail route between 
Worcester and Providence; in that year, or 1814, it was 
attempted to run a stage, but the business was only suffi- 
cient to support a cheap carriage and two or three horses, 
and the proprietors abandoned it. Until 1819 the mail 
was carried once a week in a one-horse wagon; an at- 
tempt was then made to run a two-horse stage twice 
each week, but this did not pay, and was abandoned. 
In 1823 a line of stages was started and well patronized. 
For a long time the only stages from Worcester were six 
times each week to Boston, and six times each week to 
New York. In 1827 there were eighteen different fines 
of stages running from Worcester, and the passengers 
averaged one hundred daily. 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 61 



CHAPTER III 

Textile Fabrics and Machinery for Making Them — Early Manufacture of 
Cloth — Condition of Woolen Manufacture — John Goulding — Manufac- 
ture of Cotton and Woolen Machinery — Card Clothing — Looms — Carpets 
—Thread. 

We have already noticed that Samuel Brazer in 1790 
advertised to sell " corduroys, jeans, fustians, federal rib 
and cotton," and that at the same time he and Daniel 
Waldo were proprietors of the Worcester Cotton Manu- 
factory. There was then scarcely any machinery for 
the manufacture of cloth in America; it had been intro- 
duced into England, but there were severe laws against 
its exportation to the colonies. 

The process of making cloth, as early conducted, was 
entirely by hand-power. Hand-cards were used for 
straightening the fibre of the wool or cotton, which was 
spun by a single spindle driven by a wheel kept in 
motion by the hand of the operator. The yarn was 
woven upon hand-looms, and the cloth thus made was 
sent to the fulling-mill, which was the first branch of the 
business not conducted in the household. Fulling-mills 
were scattered all over the country for the purpose of 
finishing the cloth made in the farm-houses. 

John Earle and Erasmus Jones in 1810 "erected wool- 
carding machines to pick, break and card wool at the 
building known as Lincoln's Trip-hammer shop, fifteen 
rods east of the Court-house." 

In 1811 William Hovey, an ingenious mechanic, adver- 
tised a new shearing-machine, called the "Ontario Ma- 
chine," and warned all persons against making or using 
a machine embodying the principle on which this was 



62 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

constructed, " which covers a spiral revolving shear work- 
ing against a straight blade or cutter." One of the ad- 
vantages claimed for this machine was that it could be 
carried anywhere in a one-horse wagon, and could be 
operated either by hand or water-power. It was claimed 
that this machine would facilitate that laborious branch 
of the business ten-fold. Hovey constructed another 
machine in 1812, in which the shears moved across the 
cloth on the same principle as hand-shears, and he claimed 
that with this machine he could shear about two hundred 
yards of broadcloth a day as well as by hand. 

In 1814 Jonathan Winslow engaged in the manufacture 
of flyers of a superior quality for spinning cotton. 

Comb-plates for wool-carding machines were offered 
for sale in 1814 by Daniel Waldo at his store and by Earle 
& Williams at their shop. At the same time Merrifield 
& Trowbridge were engaged in making cotton and woolen 
machinery at the Trowbridgeville privilege. 

The prices generally adopted for wool-carding at this 
time, in Worcester County, were seven cents per pound 
for common wool, with an addition of three cents when 
oil was found by the carders; twelve and a half cents per 
pound for carding half-blooded merino, with the like addi- 
tion for oil; twenty-five cents per pound for carding full- 
blooded merino, with the like addition. 

An improvement over the ordinary single spindle 
spinning-wheel is offered by the proprietor, located at 
Sikes' Tavern, who offers for sale " The Farmer's Spinner," 
which carries from eight to twelve spindles attached to a 
single spinning-wheel. 

As an indication of the improvements being made in 
the construction of machinery, attention is called in 1822 
to the fact that William Hovey is constructing cylinders 



TEXTILE FABRICS AND MACHINERY 63 

for carding-machines entirely of iron, being cast in four 
parallel pieces. 

Stephen R. Tenney is engaged in building wool-carding, 
matting, shearing and brushing-machines, in the building 
formerly occupied by Trowbridge & Merrifield as a cotton 
factory. 

In 1822 Ichabod Washburn manufactured machinery 
for carding and spinning wool at his shop near Sikes' Inn. 
January 1, 1823, Mr. Washburn took into partnership 
Benjamin Goddard (2d), and continued in the same busi- 
ness, to which they added that of carding wool, having 
purchased the machines lately owned by Calvin 
Darby. 

In June, 1824, Brewster & Fox advertised the best 
carding-machines and workmen at their establishment, 
one mile south of Worcester Village, — the South Worcester 
privilege — carding, six cents; oiling and carding, seven 
cents. 

The machine-shops, so called, at this time were almost 
exclusively engaged in the manufacture of cotton and 
woolen machinery. 

William B. Fox, who seems at this time to have sep- 
arated from his former partner, Mr. Brewster, dresses 
" Handsome wear" at his cloth-dressing factory, one mile 
south of Worcester, at twenty cents per yard, "common 
at sixteen cents. " 

Sarah Hale, widow of Joshua Hale, offered for sale, 
March 1, 1826, the factory at New Worcester, consisting 
of the building " occupied for many years past for the 
purposes of manufacturing cotton and carding custom 
wool"; but not finding a customer, she had the machines 
put in good order and resumed business. 

Simmons & Wilder carded wool and dressed cloth about 
two miles south of Worcester Street. 



64 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

September 13, 1826, William B. Fox moved his wool- 
carding and cloth-dressing business to the new building 
erected on the privilege formerly owned by Samuel Flagg, 
a few rods south of Worcester Village. 

The woolen business at this time was in a most de- 
pressed condition, and was said to be done at a loss, even 
with the most prudent management. It was feared that 
the probable stoppage of the mills would be severely felt 
in the community. A meeting was held about this time 
in Boston, and it was decided that it would be advisable 
to apply to Congress for an increase of duties on imported 
woolens, or a reduction of the duty upon wool. 

The cotton fabrics made in this country at this time 
were of excellent quality, and the business was in a much 
better condition than the woolen business. 

A meeting was called in Worcester for Friday, Decem- 
ber 1, 1826, at Stockwell's, to consider the depressed state 
of the woolen manufacturers. At that meeting a me- 
morial to Congress was prepared, signed by Emory 
Washburn, James Woolcott and Maj. John Brown. 

One of the most valuable contributions to the woolen 
machinery of the world was the endless rolling, or Ameri- 
can card, invented in 1826, by John Goulding, a native 
of Massachusetts, and for many years a mechanic in 
Worcester. Previous to the development of this machine 
the rolls, or rolling issuing from the carding-machine, 
were limited to the breadth of the card, and the ends of 
the separate rolls had to be spliced together by hand 
process, by a machine called a " billy. " Goulding dis- 
pensed with the " billy, " and, by an ingenious combina- 
tion of devices, obtained an endless roll, and so perfected 
his machinery that he could use it successfully from the 
moment the rolling left the dull end of the first picker 
until it was converted into yarn fit to be manufactured 



TEXTILE FABRICS AND MACHINERY 65 

into cloth. This device has been styled the most import- 
ant advance in the card-wool industry of that early period. 1 
Some knowledge of the equipment of a woolen-factory 
at this time may be had from a notice of a sale in June, 
1827, at the woolen-factory then lately occupied by A. & 
D. Aldrich, and about one mile south of New Worcester, 
at which were to be offered for sale ten satinet-looms, one 
double car ding-machine, one billy, one shearing-machine, 
one roping-machine, one press, one copper-kettle, one 
potash-kettle, press-plates. 

In February, 1828, William Hovey stated that he is 
about to stop his manufacture of satinet shearing-ma- 
chines, but will continue to make broad and cassimere 
shearing-machines with vibrating or revolving-shears, 
and also metallic grinding-machines for keeping the 
machines in order. 

In March, 1830, it was proposed to erect in Worcester 
a patent hemp and flax-machine, and the Worcester Hemp 
Company offered to furnish seed to the farmers on the 
following conditions : 

The company would furnish seed at the market price 
for cash, or in payment would take good notes on interest 
payable in hemp stem at eighteen dollars per ton, gross 
weight, when the crop was harvested and delivered at the 
machine, or would furnish the seed and sow on shares. 
The company offered to pay eighteen dollars per ton gross 
weight for good hemp stem delivered at the machine cut, 
or fifteen dollars without. 

In March, 1831, Lewis Thayer and George Willey com- 
menced the manufacture of loom-pickers at New Wor- 
cester. Lewis Thayer " carded wool at three and a half 
cents per pound and waited one year for his pay. " 

i Boston Advertiser, November 3, 1888. 



66 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

In August, 1831, Washburn & Goddard sold their busi- 
ness of manufacturing woolen machinery to March, 
Hobart & Company, composed of Andrew March, George 
Hobart, Henry Goulding and B. F. Smith. This firm 
was dissolved in 1832, and was succeeded by Hobart, 
Goulding & Company, who dissolved March 25, 1832. 
They manufactured pickers, carding-machines, conden- 
sers, jacks, etc., also comb-plates, and were succeeded by 
Goulding & Smith. 

February 24, 1836, Goulding & Smith dissolved, D. T. 
Brigham having retired from the firm in 1834, and Henry 
Goulding continued the business alone. A copartner- 
ship was formed, April, 1837, under the title of Henry 
Goulding & Company, consisting of Henry Goulding, 
John Gates (2d) , and Luke Witherby. They were burned 
out in August, 1838; the building, which was of brick, was 
valued at three thousand five hundred dollars, and was 
owned by Frederick W. Paine; the tools and machinery, 
valued at eight thousand dollars, were destroyed. This 
concern built at that time about sixty thousand dollars' 
worth annually of woolen machinery. 

November 15, 1844, Goulding & Davis, who had suc- 
ceeded, dissolved, and Henry Goulding continued. April 
1, 1851, Willard, Williams & Company, bought out Henry 
Goulding; the firm was composed of Fitzroy Willard, 
Warren Williams, N. A. Lombard, Charles A. Whitte- 
more and H. W. Conklin; this firm was succeeded April 2, 
1855, by F. Willard & Company, composed of Fitzroy 
Willard, Charles Whittemore, N. A. Lombard and H. W. 
Conklin. This firm was succeeded April 1, 1861, by 
Bickford & Lombard, who were succeeded by N. A. Lom- 
bard, the proprietor in 1889 who had been connected with 
the business since 1851. The location of the business was 
at the southeast corner of School and Union Streets. 



TEXTILE MACHINERY 67 

From 1823 this business had been confined to the manu- 
facture of woolen machinery of different kinds, including 
carding and spinning machinery, spinning jacks, pickers, 
dusters, willowers, etc. 

W. M. Bickford succeeded William S to well, August 31, 
1831, and built woolen machinery, condensing, picking, 
napping and brushing-machines, also spinning jacks, at 
the Stowell shop in New Worcester; he was succeeded 
by Abel Kimball, who continued the business at the 
same place. 

Horatio Phelps manufactured looms of all kinds in 
the shop formerly occupied by William Howard, at South 
Worcester, from whom Mr. Phelps had purchased the 
right to make his patent broad looms. The firm of Phelps 
& Bickford, composed of Horatio Phelps and William M. 
Bickford, continued to manufacture here, after the forma- 
tion of their copartnership, all kinds of woolen looms. In 
October, 1834, they removed from South Worcester to 
Court Mills, then a new building erected by Stephen Salis- 
bury for the accommodation of parties desiring to lease fac- 
tory room. Phelps & Bickford afterwards occupied part 
of the wire factory in Grove Street. Later, Mr. Bickford 
continued the business alone, and in 1859 he employed 
twenty-three hands in building looms in the west wing of 
the Grove Street mill. December 28, 1860, he moved to 
Merrifield's building, in Exchange Street, where he was 
prepared to build all kinds of Crompton looms and other 
fancy looms, broad and narrow; also walking, dressing 
and spooling machinery, with steam cylinders or pipes for 
drying; also all kinds of machinery and tools for making 
wire. 

August 17, 1831, John Simmons & Co., announced 
that they would supply at their new shop in New Worces- 
ter the following machinery: Broad and narrow shearing 



68 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

machines, pressing-machines, napping-machines. This 
copartnership was composed of John Simmons, Abel 
Kimball and Albert Curtis, and was dissolved February 
21, 1832. Mr. Curtis in 1831 took a lease of Lewis 
Thayer, the then owner of a part of the water privilege 
which was originally owned by Joshua Hale. Here he 
erected a machine shop. The old Hale building was a 
wooden factory, two stories and a basement, and stood 
where the middle building of the Curtis & Marble fac- 
tories stood in 1889. 

Albert Curtis was born in Worcester, 1807. At the 
age of seventeen he was apprenticed to White & Boyden, 
who manufactured woolen machinery at South Worces- 
ter, near the present location of the carpet-mills. After 
learning his trade he worked here for three years as a 
journeyman, at one dollar and twenty-five cents per day. 
In December, 1829, he went to Pittsburgh, but returned 
in January, 1831, and again entered the employment of 
White & Boyden. While learning his trade he became 
acquainted with his fellow-workmen, Kimball and Sim- 
mons, and they conceived the idea of going to New Wor- 
cester and starting for themselves. The firm of John 
Simmons & Co. was succeeded by Simmons & Curtis, 
who continued to make shearing and other machinery. 
In 1833 Mr. Curtis purchased Mr. Simmons' interest, 
and continued alone until 1834, when William Henshaw 
became a partner and so continued until 1839, the firm- 
name being Curtis & Henshaw. They had not room 
enough at New Worcester for their business, and for a 
time leased room of Ichabod Washburn, in the wire-mill 
in Grove Street. This copartnership was dissolved 
January 8, 1839. 

In 1835 Capron & Parkhurst occupied the old Hale 
building, which was owned by Clarendon Wheelock. 



ALBERT CURTIS 69 

About 1840 Mr. Curtis purchased of him the Ramshorn 
water privilege, building and satinet machinery, consisting 
of two full sets. He had previously bought the Lewis 
Thayer water privilege, where the old dam stood on Tat- 
nuck Brook, to run his machine-shop. Mr. Curtis leased 
the old building to John Metcalf and William C. Barber, 
who ran it until 1842, when it was burned, together with 
the machine-shop of Mr. Curtis, which was a wooden 
building with a basement. The original dam on the 
privilege stood one hundred feet from the bridge toward 
the location of the present dam, and was about sixty feet 
long and four feet high. 

After the fire of 1842, Mr. Curtis immediately rebuilt 
the machine shop (52 x 30 feet), three stories high. In 
1842 he built a factory on the site of the old Hale mill, a 
portion of which he leased to Sumner Pratt, to make 
cotton sewing thread. Mr. Curtis afterwards had an 
equal interest with Mr. Pratt, and bought him out in 
1844. The basement of the building was rented to L. & 
A. G. Coes, who manufactured wrenches. While Sum- 
ner Pratt was here in the thread business, L. J. Knowles 
and a Mr. Hapgood purchased his product and spooled it 
in another room of the same building, and put it on the 
market. After Mr. Curtis bought out Mr. Pratt, he put in 
looms for making cotton sheetings. The mill was continued 
as a cotton-mill for several years, when it was converted 
into a satinet-mill. In 1845 the South Mill was built and 
used for the manufacture of cotton sheetings and drillings. 
In 1870 the South Mill was changed to woolen goods, 
blankets, shawls and dress goods. 

At the north end of Curtis bridge was the old wheel- 
wright shop of E. Graves. Mr. Curtis bought out Graves 
in 1837, and continued the wheelwright business until 
about 1840. 



70 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

In 1852 Mr. Curtis bought the Trowbridgeville factory 
and commenced here the manufacture of cotton sheetings. 
In 1860 the mill was burned and partially rebuilt and rilled 
with machinery for making woolen goods. He changed 
the 1845 mill to woolen goods in 1871, and later put in 
additional machinery for the manufacture of horse blankets. 
The mill built in 1842 was changed to satinets in 1857. 
In April, 1863, Mr. Curtis took Edwin T. Marble into 
partnership in his business for manufacturing woolen 
machinery for finishing woolen, silk and cotton goods. 
This Company has made a specialty of shearing ma- 
chinery, the improvements in which have been greater 
than in any other machinery used in the manufacture of 
woolen goods. Mr. Curtis built the first machines for 
shearing or trimming cotton cloth built in this country; 
they were used to remove the fuzz. In old times this was 
accomplished by singeing or burning. 

A shearing machine made in France was sent from Paw- 
tucket to Mr. Curtis to be repaired. He examined it 
and thought it could be improved and then began 
building the machines. Up to that time the French 
machines had been used in this country. They had one 
set of shears ; the Curtis machine had from two to five sets 
and one of his machines would do as much as twelve did 
in 1830. 

Edwin T. Marble was born in Sutton, August 18, 1827. 
He came to Worcester in 1841. At the age of eighteen 
he went to work in the machine shop of Albert Curtis and 
served an apprenticeship of three years. He worked at 
his trade as journeyman, foreman and superintendent in 
various machine shops in Worcester and for a time for 
Alexander and Sewall Thayer as A. & S. Thayer. For 
several years he was foreman for Thayer, Houghton & 
Co., Manufacturers of Machinists' Tools. Later he was 



TEXTILE FINISHING MACHINERY 71 

superintendent for E. C. Cleveland & Co., Manufactur- 
ers of Woolen Machinery. 

In the spring of 1850, Mr. Marble worked for a time 
in Shelburne Falls. He began business for himself as 
a manufacturer in April, 1863, with Albert Curtis, as has 
been noted above, under the name of Curtis & Marble. 
They began business in the same small shop at New Wor- 
cester where Mr. Marble learned his trade and employed 
twenty men, most of them Americans, a few French Can- 
adians. The site is now occupied by the plant of the Wor- 
cester Electric Light Company. 

In April, 1895, Mr. Marble bought the interest of 
Mr. Curtis in the business and became sole proprietor. 
The Curtis & Marble Machine Company was incor- 
porated December 31, 1895. The capital stock was 
$75,000. E. T. Marble was President and Treasurer un- 
til his death, July 3, 1910, when nearly eighty- three years 
of age, at which time his Company was manufacturing 
a larger variety of textile finishing machinery than any 
in the world, covering practically every textile fabric 
excepting silk. The factory built in 1895 is at 72 Cam- 
bridge Street. Several extensive additions have been 
made to it. Its product now consists of wool burring, 
packing and mixing machinery and cloth finishing ma- 
chinery for cotton, woolen, worsted and felt goods, 
velvets, plushes, corduroys, carpets, rugs and mats. 
The present officers of the Company are Edwin H. 
Marble, President; William C. Marble, Vice-President 
and Secretary; Charles F. Marble, Treasurer; Albert C. 
Marble, Superintendent. The Company has succeeded 
to the business of the Atlas Mfg. Co. of New Jersey, The 
Miller Press and Machine Co. of Woonsocket, R. I., and 
the shearing department of the Woonsocket Napping 
Machinery Co. At the present time the corporation 



72 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

employs one hundred thirty-five men of various nation- 
alities, most of them skilled mechanics. 

December 10, 1833, William H. Howard and Silas 
Dinsmore made cotton and woolen machinery at their 
machine shop near the Court-House, and continued in 
business until September 30, 1834, when they dissolved. 
In November, 1834, Silas Dinsmore commenced the 
manufacture of power-looms at the same place and April 
13, 1835, formed a copartnership with Fitzroy Willard, 
continuing in the same business. In 1838 Fitzroy 
Willard was located at Court Mills, where he manufac- 
tured broad power, satinet and cassimere looms, and in 
1840 Silas Dinsmore manufactured reeds at Court Mills. 

The card-clothing industry has been a most important 
one, and was naturally among the earliest in which the 
colonists engaged, for the reason that it is essential to the 
manufacture of textile fabrics. The use to which carding 
is put is to separate the fibres of the material being worked, 
and to lay them parallel. The process consists in the 
reciprocal motion of two surfaces covered with short 
pointed teeth, between which the stock is placed. For- 
merly this was done by hand, and was conducted in the 
household. 

"It is probable that either cards proper, or tools closely 
resembling them, were used as far back as the dawn of 
civilization, when the art of the manufacture of textiles 
was in its very infancy. To within a comparatively re- 
cent period the processes were very rude, depending 
mainly on hand labor, and thus the cards employed 
differed somewhat in their shape from those used at the 
present day. 

"To produce them, a sheet of leather was taken about 
eighteen or twenty inches by about four inches in width. 
This was ruled by lines into cross sections as a guide for 



CARD SETTING 73 

the workman, who used a pricker with two blades, pierc- 
ing two holes at a time at the point where the lines inter- 
sected until the whole sheet was pierced. This accom- 
plished, the wire was taken, each pin or shaft being sep- 
arately bent into a staple by hand. The prongs of the 
staples formed the card teeth, which were inserted also 
by hand, one staple at a time, into the perforated leather 
sheet above described. 

"The sheet, with its wire teeth, was now nailed upon 
a board, and called a card. With this appliance, or rather 
with a pair of them, the operator carded. He placed 
tufts of cotton, wool or other fibre between them, and 
drew the one over the other for several strokes until both 
were equally filled, and then, by a reverse stroke, he 
cleaned out the fibre in the form of a roll, called a carding, 
which was used by the spinsters for making their yarn. " 

Tacks were first used in making hand-cards, and they 
were for a time manufactured in this country by cutting 
them out of sheet-iron with a pair of shears. The tack 
was held in a vise and headed by a single blow. About 
six hundred and fifty tacks were required for nailing each 
dozen pairs of hand-cards to the boards on which they 
were used. All the tacks used for this purpose for many 
years were made by hand in the manner described above, 
until Thomas Blanchard, of Sutton, invented an auto- 
matic machine for making the tacks from strips of sheet- 
iron. 

Daniel Denny, whose card-factory has been noticed, 
probably followed the practice of giving the teeth out to 
women and children, who would set them in the leather 
at their homes. 

Card-setting by hand was done as late as 1828. Earle 
& Chase, whose store was at the corner of Thomas and 
Main Streets, state in August, 1826, that persons who wish 



74 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

for cards to be set can be accommodated at their store. 
In 1829 the average price paid for setting cards by hand 
was forty-two cents per square foot. A good setter would 
put in about twenty thousand teeth in a day. The best 
machines in 1889 would set three hundred teeth per 
minute, and at the present time from three hundred and 
fifty to four hundred. Wages paid card-setters in 1829 
$1.33 per day, in 1889, 13.50 to $4.50 per day. The 
cost of setting cards is now something less than one-eighth 
the amount paid sixty years ago, and the wages paid 
average at least three times as large. 

Amos Whittemore, of Cambridge, had patented a card- 
setting machine in 1797, but it could not be used by 
others, and the cards made by hand at Leicester were of 
better quality. 

In 1785 the manufacture of cards was begun in Leices- 
ter, and to this industry the growth and prosperity of 
the town is largely indebted. In 1789 Pliny Earle, who 
had manufactured hand-cards since 1786, made for Almy 
& Brown, of Providence, R. I., the first machine card- 
clothing in America, as appears from the following inter- 
esting letter: 

Respected Fbiend, Providence, 11th M. 4th, 1789. 

Pliny Earl. — We having pretty much concluded to alter and to cover 
our Carding Machine, and Joseph Congdon informing us that he ex- 
pected to go to Leicester soon, we thought we would inclose & send thee 
the Number & diameter of our Cylinders and propose thy covering them 
with Cards. We have confered with our Card Makers in Town about 
doing the Jobb, who appear desirous to do it, and are willing to take their 
pay, all excepting the cost of the wire in our way, but, it being our object 
to have it well done, and thinking we could rely upon thy performance, 
have prefered thy doing it. 

We have also had it in contemplation to write to Boston, but, being de- 
sirous of having it done soon, and that being likely to protract the time 
of having it done, have waved that also. 

We are not desirous of beating thee down in thy price, or that thou 
should do it below what thou could reasonable afford, but we have thought, 



CARD CLOTHING 75 

considering thou hast thy machinery now prepared, which was not when 
thou did that for the company at Worcester, that if we gave thee the 
same for covering ours as thou had for theirs, tho' a little larger, it would 
be equivalent to what thou charged them, considering the preparations 
aforesaid, which the first employers, or rather those on whose account it 
is especially made, in all such cases must expect to pay, as we have had 
abundant experience. If that price will answer, we should be glad thou 
would take the pains to go and view the machine at Worcester, and if 
there can be any improvement made upon the manner of covering, that. 
should like thou would make it, either in the Length of the Teeth, or in 
any other particular. Stowel, who superintends the business there, will 
chearfully give thee any information respecting the working of theirs, no 
doubt, upon thy own account and upon ours also, as we are upon friendly 
terms with him, having divers times been mutually helpful to each other. 
We are much in want of ours being done, and should be glad to have 
it soon; propose, therefore, if thou undertakes the business, that thou 
would set a time when thou thinks thou could bring the cards down to 
put on, and we will endeavor to have the machine in readiness to receive 
them. Inclosed is the dimensions of the Cyllinders,that is, their diameters; 
the second Cyllinder in circumference, thou knows, has the cards placed 
at some distance from each other, in order that the rake may take the 
rolls off distinctly; ours are about 2 3/2 inches apart. 

We are of the opinion that the bind of the teeth ought to be in pro- 
portion to the circumference of the Cyllinder on which they are placed. 
We propose having the Cards the same size as those on the Worcester 
machine, viz.: 16 Inches and all Cotton Cards of equal quality except- 
ing the feeder, and the Cyllinder that takes it off of it, and we need not 
add of the best quality of the number suitable for the machine, of which, 
we suppose, the machine at Worcester must be considered as a sample. 
We should be glad to supply thee with any kind of live Stock, if thou should 
want, at Cost price, or any kind of produce, cloths included, for the whole 
or part of the amount; if not, we will pay thee the cash. We think that in 
four weeks from this time we shall be glad of the Cards. A line from thee 
by Joseph respecting what we may depend on will be agreeable, as we 
mean to prosecute the accomplishment of the business as fast as may be. 

From thy Friend, Almy & Brown. 
P. S. — The diameters of our Cylinders are here subjoined. 

The great Cylinder 36 Inches. 

the next 26 " 

the next 103^ " 

1 ditto 10 " 

4 " 6 

6 " 3 

One of which, the feeder, to be covered with wool Cards. 



76 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

It has often been said that the first machine card-cloth- 
ing was made for Samuel Slater in 1790. Mr. Slater 
landed in New York November 11, 1789. December 2, 
1789, he wrote to Almy & Brown, and December 10 
received a reply, making an engagement with him. De- 
cember 14, Pliny Earle set out for Providence to put cards 
on Almy & Brown's machine. There is no doubt that 
Mr. Slater had much to do with perfecting the carding 
engine and making it a success after he went into the 
employ of Almy & Brown. 1 

The leather first used in making machine-cards was 
calfskin, and then cowhide tanned for the purpose. 
Sheepskin was generally used for hand-cards. 

In 1791 Mr. Earle' s brothers — Jonah and Silas — be- 
came associated in business with Pliny, and in 1806 Silas 
commenced to manufacture on his own account. At 
his death his son, Timothy, sold his father's machinery 
to his cousin, Timothy K. Earle, and Reuben Randall. 
Mr. Randall's interest, after some transfers, came into 
the hands of Edward Earle. 

Timothy Keese Earle, founder of the T. K. Earle 
Manufacturing Company, was born in Leicester in 1823. 
In December, 1843, Timothy K. Earle & Co., consisting 
of Timothy and his brother, Edward Earle, moved from 
Leicester to Worcester, and occupied room over Pratt & 
Earle's iron store, in Washington Square, where they 
continued the manufacture of all kinds of machine-cards 
of the best quality. Their machines were built by William 
B. Earle, between 1843 and 1849. 

In 1857 T. K. Earle & Co. built on Grafton Street the 
factory later occupied by their successors for the manu- 
facture of card-clothing, cotton gin-clothing and belting. 

il am indebted to the late Thomas A. Dickinson, of the Worcester Society of Anti- 
quity, for this information and copy of above letter. 



CARD CLOTHING 77 

This was for many years the largest card-clothing factory 
in America. Edward Earle retired from the business in 
1869, and was succeeded by his brother Thomas, who 
died in 1871. In 1872 Edwin Brown became a partner, 
and subsequently, in 1880, the agent and treasurer of 
the T. K. Earle Manufacturing Company of which T. 
K. Earle was the president. 

The T. K. Earle Manufacturing Company owned a 
number of patents on their improvements in the method 
of producing card-clothing. Pliny Earle made one kind 
of card-clothing, viz.: iron wire teeth set by hand in 
leather. The T. K. Earle Manufacturing Company 
made all kinds of leather card-clothing, using both hem- 
lock and oak tanned leather, over ten varieties of cloth 
card-clothing, and used eighteen or more sizes of soft 
steel wire, eleven or more sizes of hardened and tempered 
steel wire, besides tinned wire and brass wire of various 
shapes and sizes. They curried their own leather, manu- 
factured card-cloths and rubber-faced card-cloths for 
themselves and for other card-makers. They built 
almost all their card-setting machines in their own ma- 
chine-shop and made many improvements in the quality 
and the methods of card-clothing. They manufactured 
double and single cover cloth for foundation for card- 
clothing, having special and improved machinery for 
the purpose, and in 1883 built a factory on their 
premises for the manufacture of all kinds of card-cloth, 
including vulcanized rubber facings, with the very best 
American and English machinery, and the most im- 
proved process of vulcanizing rubber for this purpose. 

In 1866 Joseph B. and Edward Sargent, sons of Joseph 
B. Sargent, the manufacturer of card-clothing in Leicester, 
organized the Sargent Card-Clothing Company, and built 
a factory in Worcester on Southbridge Street, now occu- 



78 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

pied by Queensbury Mills, yarn manufacturers, and Terry 
Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of woolen goods, 
with Edward Sargent as manager. April 15, 1879, the 
business was sold to James Smith & Company, of 
Philadelphia. 

Howard Bros. Manufacturing Company, originally in 
Washington Square, manufactured machine card-cloth- 
ing, machine wire heddles, hand stripping cattle and 
curry cards. The business was established in 1866, by 
C. A. Howard, the late A. H. Howard, President, Treas- 
urer and General Manager of the company until his death, 
April 12, 1916, and John P. Howard, and was continued 
as a copartnership until 1888, when the company was 
incorporated as the Howard Bros. Manufacturing Com- 
pany, with a capital of forty-five thousand dollars. 

They started with four hands and had a lumber- 
mill at Keyes, N. H., where they made the backs of their 
cards. Their machinery is all of their own construction, 
and much of it special machinery of their own design, 
notably the card-setting machines, employed for setting 
teeth, in the cards of which there are from forty thousand 
to eighty thousand in each square foot of card-clothing. 
One feature of this business has been the manufacture 
of diamond-pointed card-clothing and hand stripping 
cattle and curry cards of every description in wood and 
leather for cotton, wool and flax. Their trade extends 
throughout the United States and Canada. They built 
a new factory on the corner of Franklin and Vine Streets 
in 1892, the present location. During this year they 
purchased in England machinery for making their cloth 
foundations. Their factory has been added to from time 
to time and in 1913 the capital was increased to $300,000. 
They employ between sixty and seventy operatives. 
The present officers are: Herbert Midgley, President 



CARD CLOTHING 79 

and Superintendent; Harry C. Coley, Secretary and 
Treasurer. 

Charles F. Kent started the business of manufacturing 
card-clothing in January, 1880. 

In 1890 the T. K. Earle Manufacturing Company and 
the Sargent Card Clothing Company sold out to the 
American Card Clothing Company, a corporation which 
purchased all the card clothing factories in the United 
States with the exception of Howard Bros. Manufactur- 
ing Company and Charles F. Kent. About 1902 the 
American Card Clothing Company bought out Charles 
F. Kent. The main offices of the American Card Cloth- 
ing Company, a West Virginia corporation, were in the 
Knowles building on Main Street, until 1905, when the 
Company went into liquidation and sold its property 
to various interests, the Worcester business to a new 
company, The American Card Clothing Company of 
Massachusetts, which is now manufacturing card cloth- 
ing in the old T. K. Earle factory on Grafton Street and 
also in Philadelphia. The stock of the Company is 
owned in Providence, R. I. 

There appear to have been a number of small manu- 
facturers of cards in Worcester at different times. Daniel 
Denny and Earle & Chase have already been mentioned. 
In 1834, William B. Earle had room in Howard & Dins- 
more's shop, near the Court-House, for the manufacture 
of cards. In 1848, William E. Eames, 43 Front Street, 
manufactured cards; he was succeeded by Earle Warner. 
In 1849, N. Ainsworth occupied the third story of 
Goddard & Rice's shop in the manufacture of card-setting 
machinery. The business was purchased by F. G. Rug- 
gles in 1851. 

David McFarland at this time manufactured card- 
setting machinery, and made the best machines then 



80 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

made in the country. All the machines at one time run- 
ning in the Sargent Card-Clothing Company factory, 
excepting a few English machines, were the McFarland 
pattern. 1 

"Weaving is the art by which threads or yarns of any 
substance are interlaced so as to form a continuous web. 
It is perhaps the most ancient of the manufacturing arts, 
for clothing was always a first necessity of mankind. 

"The simplest form of weaving is that employed in 
making the mats of uncivilized nations; these consist of 
single untwisted fibres, usually vegetable, arranged side 
by side to the width required, and of the length of the 
fibres themselves, which are tied at each end to the stick 
which is so fixed as to keep the fibres straight and on the 
same plane ; then the weaver lifts up every other of these 
longitudinal threads, and passes under it a transverse 
one, which he first attaches by tying or twisting to the 
outermost fibre of the side he commences with; and after- 
ward, in the same way, to that on the other side, when it 
is passed through the whole series. The accession to the 
art of spinning threads of any length enables more ad- 
vanced nations to give great length to the warp, or 
series of threads which are first arranged and to pass the 
weft, or transverse thread, backward and forward by 
means of a shuttle without the necessity of fixing at the 
sides. That kind of weaving which consists of passing 
the weft alternately over and under each thread of the 
warp is called plain weaving; but if the weaver takes up 
first one and then two threads alternately of the warp 
series, and passes the weft under them for the first shoot 
of his shuttle, and raised those which were left down 

1 Much of the material used in the article on card-clothing is taken from a book called 
"A Century Old," published by the T. K. Earle Mfg. Co., and written by H. G. Kittredge 
and A. C. Gould. 



LOOMS 81 

before for the second shoot, he produces a cloth with a 
very different appearance, called twill. 

"There are few arts which require more patience than 
weaving; as many as from one to two thousand threads 
often constitute the warp, and these threads may be so 
varied in quality as to produce many varieties of fabric. 
From that cause alone there are almost infinite varia- 
tions; many may be produced by the order in which the 
threads are lifted for the passage of the weft; that of itself 
can also be varied as much or more in its quality and other 
circumstances, so that the inventive genius of the weaver 
finds incessant opportunities for its display, and nice 
arithmetical calculations are required in estimating and 
allotting the numerous threads to the endless variety of 
patterns which are constantly passing through the loom. 1 

The first practical power-loom was devised in 1785 
by Dr. Edmund Cartwright, of Derbyshire, England, a 
minister of the Gospel, and ignorant of mechanics. He 
is said to have had his attention turned to the subject 
by the remark that when Arkwright's patents for spin- 
ning yarn by power should have expired, so many per- 
sons would go into the spinning business that no hands 
would be found to weave the cotton. He spent thirty 
thousand pounds in endeavoring to perfect his loom, and 
in 1808 received a grant from Parliament of ten thousand 
pounds for his services. Steam-power was applied to 
his looms in 1807. Improvements were rapidly made 
upon the Cartwright loom by other inventors, and it 
was soon brought into general use for both cotton and 
woolen goods. 

Ichabod Washburn speaks in his Autobiography of 
seeing a power-loom in the winter of 1813-14, which was 
so crude that all the cog-wheels were made of wood, and 

1 People's Encyclopaedia. 



82 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

expresses the opinion that it was probably the first power- 
loom in the United States. Whether this be true or not, 
it is certain the power-loom had not, at that time, been 
long in operation in this country. 

In the fall of 1823, Wm. H. Howard and William Hovey 
were in business together, and after building various 
kinds of machinery, commenced building broad power 
looms, and finally settled on the common Scotch looms 
as the best, and put them in operation at the factory of 
the Goodell Manufacturing Co., Millbury, at the Pam- 
eacha factory in Middletown, Conn., at the Torrington 
and Litchfield factories, and elsewhere. 

This partnership was dissolved, and early in 1825 each 
manufactured these looms on his own account, William 
H. Howard building broad power cassimere and kersey- 
mere looms, carding and shearing-machines at his shop, 
one mile south of the Main Street in Worcester, — South 
Worcester privilege. For satisfactory proof of the su- 
periority of his looms, he referred to the Goodell Manu- 
facturing Co. in Millbury; to Wolcottville Manufactur- 
ing Co. in Torrington, Conn.; and to Zachariah Allen, 
Providence, R. I. These looms were sold for one hundred 
and twenty-five dollars each, delivered at the shop in 
Worcester, including the expense of putting them in 
operation. 

In 1828 Rice & Miller advertised for sale satinet power- 
looms, and in 1830 Wheelock & Prentice took the shop 
theretofore occupied by William H. Howard, at South 
Worcester, and purchased of him the right to build his 
improved looms, upon which he had a patent for an 
improvement in the lay motion, consisting of an irregu- 
lar slot in the sword of the lay through which it was 
moved. There are many looms now in operation with 
this movement. 



LOOMS 83 

In 1832 Horatio Phelps carried on the loom business 
at the shop formerly occupied by William H. Howard, 
having purchased the right to make and sell the Howard 
Improved Patent Broad-loom. The business was con- 
ducted at the same place in 1833, by Phelps & Bickford, 
who advertised that they were prepared to build to 
order all kinds of woolen looms of the most improved plan. 
In addition to the business of making the broad satinet 
cassimere power-looms, they manufactured to order reeds 
of any description. 

Prescott Wheelock was building looms at his shop 
in New Worcester in 1833, of any description that the 
public might want, and in 1835 Silas Dinsmore and Fitz- 
roy Willard formed a copartnership to manufacture 
power-looms; they dissolved in November, 1835, Fitz- 
roy Willard continuing the business at the same place in 
Court Mills, where he manufactured broad power satinet 
and cassimere looms. He built fifty broad power looms 
in Worcester for W. & D. D. Farnum, and the late Samuel 
Porter helped set them up in the mill at Blackstone, in 
1835. Most of the machinery for that mill was built in 
Worcester. Henry Goulding constructed the carding 
and spinning-machines. 

All the looms which have been spoken of up to this 
time were plain looms, so-called, the fancy loom being 
an invention of later date. The plain loom is one in 
which a few harnesses, operated by cams, are used. The 
goods woven on this loom are like cotton or twilled fabrics. 

The modern fancy loom varies in range from two to 
forty harnesses. The movement of these harnesses is 
controlled by a pattern-chain, made up to correspond with 
the different make of goods, and for different colors of 
filling in the goods, drop-boxes, or movable boxes are 
required, which are also controlled by chain, according 



84 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

to the pre-determined pattern. With these boxes from 
one to seven colors can be used. In the trade at the 
present time the cam-loom, with a single box, whether 
of two or eight harness capacity, is usually spoken of as 
a plain loom, and any loom whose mechanism is controlled 
by chain made up according to a pre-determined pattern, 
is usually spoken of as a fancy loom. 

Up to 1836 the harnesses of all power-looms were oper- 
ated by cams; consequently the changes of weave of which 
the looms were capable were very limited, and goods for 
which an intricate figure or design was required were 
necessarily woven, as formerly, in a hand-loom. 

In 1836 William Crompton, then thirty years old, a 
native of Lancashire, England, a practical weaver both 
by hand and power, came to Taunton, Mass., and entered 
the service of Messrs. Crocker & Richmond. 

Here, havhig been requested to weave a certain pattern 
of goods, which the looms in use were not fitted to pro- 
duce, he invented and made a loom of extremely novel 
design, in that it was the first loom in which the figure or 
pattern to be produced could be made up on what is 
known as a chain. This chain is a series of bars or lags, 
held together by links, so as to form a chain of bars, hence 
the name. On these bars or lags are rollers or pins, placed 
in such position that as the chain revolves it lifts, at 
certain predetermined intervals, levers, which in turn 
cause the harnesses to be raised in such order that the 
desired design or pattern is produced upon the loom. 

The loom invented by William Crompton overcame 
two great disadvantages in the cam loom — the limitation 
of harness capacity and the necessity of changing the 
cams in order to change the pattern, because its construc- 
tion made it possible in a very limited space to control 
and operate a great number of harnesses, and made it 



LOOMS 85 

extremely easy to change from one pattern to another. 
Finally, by William Cromp ton's invention, any harness 
could be raised or lowered at any time, and exceedingly 
complicated patterns could, for the first time, be woven 
by power. Another innovation in this loom was that the 
warp was made to move up and down, this double motion 
giving more room for the shuttle to fly from side to side. 
For this invention Mr. Crompton received a patent num- 
bered 491 and dated November 23, 1837. Owing, how- 
ever, to the general depression of the textile industry 
in this country, he went to England and obtained letters 
patent, and his looms were later put into operation in that 
country. 

In 1839 he returned to this country, with his wife and 
family, including his son George, and settled in Taunton. 
About this time the Middlesex Mills, of Lowell, wishing 
to manufacture a cloth similar to a piece which had been 
made by hand in France, requested Mr. Crompton to 
come to Lowell. He accepted this invitation and applied 
his patented fancy harness motion to the looms in the 
mill, and demonstrated that with this motion the desired 
pattern could be woven. Thus, in 1840, at the Middlesex 
Mills in Lowell, fancy woolens were, for the first time, woven 
by power. 

In a letter written in 1877 to the late George Crompton, 
by James Cook, agent of the Middlesex Mills in 1840, the 
following interesting statement is made: 

The writer, now in his eighty-third year, in looking over a lot of old 
samples, came across a piece of fancy woven cloth, the very first woven 
in this country by power; and the idea crossed his mind that it might 
be interesting to you to learn the beginning of this great revolution in 
the fabric now in use very generally in this country to the extinction of 
the plain fabrics formerly used to a great extent. 

Your father came to the Middlesex Mills in this city from Taunton, 
and represented to the writer and Mr. Edward Winslow, now deceased, 
a machinist in the employ of the Middlesex Company, that he had a 



86 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

loom at Taunton for weaving fancy cottons which he thought might be 
applied to woolen fabrics. The cotton loom was sent for by the Middle- 
sex Company. Mr. Winslow and myself altered one cassimere loom with 
the assistance of your father, who was a good mechanic, by putting on 
Crompton's patent. The experiment was an entire success; the altera- 
tion was extended very soon to all the cassimere looms and then to the 
broad looms, so that the whole of the weaving power of the mills was 
in that direction. 

The late Samuel Davis once said that, soon after this, 
happening to be in Boston, he accidentally met Mr. 
Crompton at an hotel there, who told him about his loom. 
Mr. Davis was then building carding and spinning- 
machines in the old Court Mills, and Mr. Crompton 
stated to him that he wished to get some one to build his 
loom, that he had been to Lowell and Lawrence, also to 
Dedham, but thought that he should close the contract 
at Lowell. Mr. Davis said he was not building looms, 
but that Worcester would be a good place to have the 
looms built, and that Phelps & Bickford would be good 
parties to undertake their manufacture. 

Mr. Crompton came to Worcester and was introduced 
to Phelps & Bickford, who were then building plain looms. 
Phelps & Bickford made an arrangement with Mr. 
Crompton to build his looms upon a royalty, and con- 
tinued doing so until the expiration of the patent. 

In February, 1844, the mill at Northville, owned by 
Ichabod Washburn, F. W. Paine, G. A. Trumbull, and 
occupied by William Crompton, was totally destroyed 
by fire. 

In 1848 William Crompton lived in Millbury, where he 
was engaged in the manufacture of woolen and cotton 
goods, and where he also had a machine-shop. April 12, 
1848, he advertised to sell various kinds of tools used by 
him in the manufacture of machinery, as he had deter- 
mined to confine himself to the manufacture of cotton and 



LOOMS 87 

woolen goods. Mr. Crompton later removed to Con- 
necticut, where his son, George, worked in Colt's factory. 
William Crompton died in Windsor, Connecticut, May 1, 
1891. The Crompton patent, meantime, had expired; 
but it was renewed for seven years, and George Crompton 
came to Worcester, and in 1851 at the age of twenty-two 
associated himself with Merrill E. Furbush for the manu- 
facture of looms, first locating in Merrifield's building, 
where they remained until the fire of 1854. 

After occupying for a short time quarters in the wire- 
mill in Grove Street, they hired the Red Mill, near the 
foot of Green Street, employing about fifty hands in the 
manufacture of the Crompton loom. At this time William 
M. Bickford, the successor of Phelps & Bickford, em- 
ployed twenty-three hands in the west wing of the Grove 
Street mill in building looms. 

August 1, 1859, Furbush & Crompton dissolved. Mr. 
Crompton continued the business, buying the Red Mill 
property, and in 1860 erected a new building, which was 
a substantial brick structure, one hundred and ten feet 
long by fifty feet deep, three stories high, besides the 
attic, exclusive of an ell for an engine-house. Mr. 
Crompton at that time employed sixty hands, which 
number he expected to increase to eighty as soon as 
buildings could be erected. 

The successive improvements in the Crompton loom 
can best be given by a quotation from an interesting pam- 
phlet on that subject, published by the Crompton Loom 
Works in 1881: " Furbush & Crompton made narrow 
looms from 1851 to 1857, when they brought out a fast- 
operating, broad fancy loom, with improvements in box- 
motion. Broad looms, up to this period, operated at 
about forty-five picks; the new 1857 broad looms, with 
twenty-four harnesses and three boxes at each end, reached 



88 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

a speed of eighty-five picks per minute. This was a 
great stride in production; no advance has been so great 
since then. The narrow fancy cassirnere loom, with three 
boxes at one end, up to this time had not obtained the 
speed of eighty-five picks per minute; but with important 
improvements in the reverse motion, the simplification 
of devices for operating the lays by means of the ordinary 
cranks, the use of the ordinary narrow shuttle and the 
reduction of the size of the shed made a fast economical 
broad power-loom of eighty-five picks a possibility. 
One weaver could attend one broad loom as readily as one 
narrow; therefore "broads" at once came into favor and 
use, and the comparative exclusion of narrow looms was 
foreseen. 

"Furbush & Crompton built looms until 1859, when 
the partnership was dissolved. The patents granted to 
and owned by the firm were in part for improvements in 
double reverse motion, E. W. Brown's invention, of which 
they were the sole owners; said patents were by mutual 
agreement territorially divided — the New England States 
and the State of New York to Crompton, and the remainder 
of the country to Furbush, and by said agreement Fur- 
bush was debarred from making looms of any kind what- 
ever in Crompton's territory." 

In December, 1860, William M. Bickford moved his 
factory to Exchange Street, in Merrifield's building, 
where he was prepared to build all kinds of Crompton 
looms and other fancy looms, broad and narrow. This 
led to a lawsuit which resulted in Bickford' s being found 
to be an infringer of the Crompton patents. On his 
death, in 1863, the business went out of existence, the 
patterns being sold to the Crompton Loom Works. 

During 1861-65 Mr. Crompton added to his business of 
manufacturing looms that of making tools for the manu- 



LOOMS 89 

facture of gun stocks, which were sold to gun makers, but 
at the end of the Civil War the entire resources of the 
works were again directed to the construction of weaving 
machinery. He took out over one hundred patents for 
improvements on looms and for devices outside of his 
own business, likewise securing numerous patents in 
Europe. He exhibited his loom at the Philadelphia 
Centennial Exposition, where he obtained a medal, and 
at the Paris Exposition in 1867, where all the leading man- 
ufacturers of Europe were represented, he received a gold 
medal. 

Mr. Crompton in the late seventies introduced the 
Keighley dobby into this country. With Horace Wy- 
man, who was associated with him, he improved the har- 
ness motion considerably, simplifying it and altering its 
position (which on English looms had always been in the 
center of the arch) to the end of the arch, where it could 
be repaired or fixed more easily, and also avoiding the an- 
noyance of having the oil drop on the warp in the loom. 
With Mr. Wyman he invented and improved the Crompton 
gingham loom. 

George Crompton died, December 29, 1886, and the 
business was incorporated January, 1888, with the follow- 
ing officers: M. C. Crompton, his widow, president; 
Horace Wyman, vice-president and manager; Justin A. 
Ware, secretary and treasurer. 

L. J. Knowles was born in Hardwick, July 2, 1819, and 
was, in 1836, clerk in a store in Shrewsbury. 

In June, 1842, we find the following notice: 
"We were shown some miniatures taken by Mr. 
Knowles at his room in Brinley Row, which we think 
for beauty, boldness and distinctness, exceed anything 
we have seen." 



90 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

In February, 1843, L. J. Knowles & Co., in connection 
with their daguerreotype business, advertised to do elec- 
tro-gilding and silver plating. 

In 1844 Sumner Pratt leased a portion of one of Mr. 
Curtis' buildings, at New Worcester, for the manufac- 
ture of cotton sewing-thread. Mr. Knowles and a Mr. 
Hapgood had quarters in the same building, and pur- 
chased thread of Mr. Pratt, which they spooled and put 
on the market. 

In 1847 Mr. Knowles commenced the manufacture of 
cotton warp at Spencer, and in 1849 removed to Warren. 
During the years 1855 to 1858 he was engaged in the 
manufacture of satinets in Warren, and made some 
improvements on the looms he was then running, for two 
of which he took out patents in 1856 — one for a close shed 
cam-jack for harness motion, and the other for separate 
picker for each cell in the drop-shuttle box. In 1857 he 
constructed a drop-box mechanism, for operating drop- 
boxes by means of cranks set at the opposite extremes of 
their throw, under the direction of a pattern-chain, or its 
equivalent. This was the germ of the mechanism of the 
fancy loom, which has developed by successive stages 
into the loom as built by the Knowles Loom Works at 
the present day. 

L. J. Knowles and his brother (F. B. Knowles) began 
the manufacture of looms for sale under the firm-name of 
L. J. Knowles & Brother, at Warren, Mass., in 1862, 1 
and the first looms were made for hoop-skirt tapes, with 
woven pocket for the wires, and for bindings, tapes, etc. 
The loom was patented in 1863. This branch of the 
business continued until the fall of 1866, when the com- 
pany removed to Worcester, Mass., occupying Dr. Sar- 

i L. J. Knowles invented and manufactured a steam pump in Warren in 1862. The 
business was sold to the George F. Blake Mfg. Co. in 1879. 



LOOMS 91 

gent's Block — Allen Court, now Federal Street. During 
1866 the company began the manufacture of cam-looms 
for satinets, doeskins and other plain goods, and patented 
a cam harness motion for this loom in November, 1866. 

In 1868 they began to make these looms with drop-boxes 
at each end, so as to use different colors of filling for 
checks, plaids, etc. In 1871 they began to make the 
drop-box looms, with chain or fancy harness motion, so 
as to extend the range of looms according to the require- 
ments of the patterns. Out of this grew the fancy woolen 
loom of the present style, the first one of which was built 
in 1872, and sold to the Jamesville Mills, of this city. 

In the spring of 1873 the first broad loom of this style 
was made from new and heavy patterns, and from that 
time many thousands have been built for the woolen- 
mills of the country. This loom was patented in 1873. 
Meantime, the loom business had grown so that in 1876 
from seventy-five to one hundred men were employed. 
The loom was shown at the Centennial Exhibition at 
Philadelphia, and as a result won for itself a wide reputa- 
tion. A forty-harness loom was made in 1876, and the 
first one was shown at this exhibition, and a number of 
them were sold. In 1879 the business had grown to such 
proportions that it was necessary to have more room, 
and the company, in October of that year, moved to what 
was known as the Junction shop on Jackson Street. 

In 1884 L. J. Knowles died very suddenly, in Washing- 
ton, and the business was conducted by the surviving 
brother, F. B. Knowles, until the first of January, 1885, 
when a corporation was formed under the name of the 
Knowles Loom Works, with F. B. Knowles as president, 
which continued the business under the same general 
management. In 1885 the company brought out a very 
heavy loom of thirty harness capacity for weaving worsted 



92 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

goods, which has been very largely introduced. Of this 
loom they built and delivered the largest single order 
for heavy woolen looms ever given in this country up to 
that time, namely — two hundred and four looms for the 
Riverside and Oswego Mills, of Providence, R. I. 

The old hoop-skirt loom has gradually developed into 
a loom for silk ribbons, suspenders, bindings and all 
kinds of narrow goods, with great success. The company 
has perfected, and put upon the market, looms for weaving 
flannels, dress-goods, fancy cottons, etc., and large num- 
bers of them have been put into the best mills. They 
have also brought out various looms designed for gros- 
grains, satins and the various kinds of silk goods, plain 
or fancy; also coverings for upholstery work, portieres, 
draperies, etc., for silk velvets, mohairs and silk plushes; 
and have probably made the widest looms for fly shuttles 
ever made, having a reed space of two hundred and 
thirty-six inches. They also introduced a power-loom for 
ingrain carpets, many of which are now running in the 
best carpet-mills in the country, and are giving perfect 
satisfaction. 

All the Knowles looms are built on the open shed prin- 
ciple, which is their distinctive feature. The value of 
the Knowles loom has also been recognized in Europe, and 
elsewhere, where it has been largely introduced by Messrs. 
Hutchinson, Hollingsworth & Co., of Dobcross, England, 
who have built them in large numbers and have several 
thousands of them in successful operation. 

In 1890, on the death of F. B. Knowles, the business 
was incorporated with the following officers: Charles H. 
Hutchins, President and Treasurer; George F. Hutchins, 
General Manager; H. H. Merriam, Secretary; John M. 
Russell, Cashier. In 1890 the Knowles Co. built new and 
much larger works on Grand Street and abandoned the 



LOOMS 93 

Jackson Street plant. The George W. Stafford Co. of 
Providence, R. L, was acquired in 1893, and in 1897 the 
Knowles and the Crompton works were consolidated 
under the name of Crompton & Knowles Loom Works. 

The officers of the new Company were: President, 
Charles H. Hutchins; Vice-Presidents, Charles Crompton, 
Frank B. Knowles; Superintendents, George F. Hutchins, 
Horace Wyman; Assistant Superintendents, Randolph 
Crompton, A. Bowman Wood ; Treasurer, George Cromp- 
ton; Secretary, H. H. Merriam. 

In 1900, the Crompton interest in the Company was 
acquired by the Knowles interest. In 1899 the plant of 
the Gilbert Loom Works was purchased. In 1902 the 
Crompton-Knowles Co. purchased the M. A. Furbush 
& Son Machine Co. of Philadelphia, and in 1903 estab- 
lished branch works in Philadelphia, especially for the 
manufacture of carpet looms. In 1905 the business of 
A. H. Steele & Brother of Worcester was purchased. 

In 1903 Edward D. Thayer, William B. Scofield, 
George Crompton and Randolph Crompton entered into 
a partnership for the purpose of manufacturing and selling 
looms. They made a specialty first of worsted, woolen 
and silk looms, but afterwards made a number of fancy 
cotton looms. 

In 1904 Edward D. Thayer applied for a patent on 
what has since been called a semi-automatic loom, one 
in which the filling could be changed while the loom was 
in operation but could only be so changed by the weaver. 
In other words, it did not automatically make a change 
of filling but the filling could be changed without stopping 
the loom. 

In 1907 the Crompton-Thayer Loom Co. was sold to 
the Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Edward D. 



94 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Thayer, George Crompton and Randolph Crompton 
continuing with the Crompton & Knowles Loom Works. 

During the past few years the principal changes in the 
fancy loom business have been in the application of warp 
stop motions to a large number of looms and the develop- 
ment of the automatic and semi-automatic fancy looms. 

A large number of patents on automatic looms and 
their accessories, now the property of the Crompton & 
Knowles Loom Works, have been granted to Horace 
Wyman, G. F. Hutchins, Randolph Crompton and Harry 
W. Smith. Because of the demand for such a variety of 
complicated looms, this company has had the foresight 
to employ a very efficient corps of inventors and experts 
who have continually made improvements in methods 
not only of handling raw material and the finished prod- 
uct, but in the introduction of special machines made by 
their own men for special work. 

The volume of business is very large, running into the 
millions of dollars. Looms of every variety are made, 
among which the most important are those for woolens, 
silks, carpets, dress goods, cottons, tire fabrics, ribbons, 
tapes, etc., these varying in price from $50 each to $7,000 
each. The capacity of the works is better than one fin- 
ished loom every ten minutes of working time. The 
officers of the Corporation are Charles H. Hutchins, 
President; George F. Hutchins, General Superintendent; 
Lucius J. Knowles, Treasurer. The number of employees 
is about two thousand. 

The Gilbert Loom Co., Charles W. Gilbert, proprietor, 
was established in 1866, and in 1889 was located at 186 
Union and 33 North Foster Streets, Worcester. The 
Company employed about fifty hands, using steam- 
power from a ninety horse-power engine, and built the 
following varieties of looms and machinery: 



LOOMS 95 

Looms for the weaving of tapestry, Brussels and velvet 
carpets, mohair and cotton plushes, fancy woolen (twen- 
ty-four harness, four drop boxes) for woolen and worsted 
goods. Fancy cotton looms, gingham looms, coach lace 
looms, satinet flannel, blanket, jean and cassimere looms, 
gunny cloth and pine fibre looms, tape and narrow wire 
looms for No. 20 and finer wire, cam looms for chairs 
and car-seats, heavy looms for cotton duck and belting, 
needle looms for wipers and sugar strainers; and, in addi- 
tion to looms, they also built yarn-printing drums and 
belting frames for tapestry and velvet carpets, cop winders 
for jute, wool, linens and cotton, yarn spoolers, mill 
shafting, gear cutters and harness frames ; they were also 
designers and builders of looms for new and special 
purposes. In 1899 this business was sold to the Cromp- 
ton-Knowles Loom Works. 

Clinton Alvord, W. P. I., Class of 1886, was General 
Manager of the Gilbert Loom Works, successor to the 
Gilbert Loom Co. In 1902 Mr. Alvord began at No. 7 
Summer St. to manufacture pile carpet looms and textile 
machinery. The business was incorporated in 1904 as the 
Worcester Loom Co. which in turn, in the spring of 1916, 
became the Worcester Loom Works. Mr. Alvord greatly 
improved the machines or drums for printing the pile 
yarn for tapestry and velvet carpets and also brought 
to working conditions the wide Jacquard Axminster loom 
which is built nine, twelve and fifteen feet in width — 
about fifty hands are employed. 

Id 1854 Rodney A. N. Johnson & Co., composed of 
Mr. Johnson and Daniel Tainter, manufactured spinning 
machinery for wool carding machines, pickers, twisters, 
spools, bobbins, boring machines, card clothing, etc., at 
Merrifield's Steam Mill. 



96 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

In 1859 Fox & Rice manufactured fancy cassimeres on 
the stream at the junction of Green and Water Streets, 
employing two hundred hands and manufacturing fifty 
thousand yards of cloth monthly. Daniel Tainter, at the 
same time, employed thirty hands in Union Street in the 
manufacture of wool-carding machines and jacks. 

The business once conducted by the Cleveland Machine 
Works Co., the well-known builders of woolen machinery, 
located at 54 Jackson Street, was established in January, 
1860, by E. C. Cleveland, who commenced the manu- 
facture of woolen machinery in Central Street in what 
was then known as Armsby's building. He manufac- 
tured cloth dryers, hydro-extractors, cloth-brushing ma- 
chines, jacks, presses, fulling-mills and wash-mills, and 
continued in this business until early in 1863, when, in 
addition to the above-named machines, he built the first 
set of the well-known Cleveland cards, which were used 
for converting wool into roving previous to spinning. 
These cards were sold to Messrs. Howe & Jefferson, of 
Jeffersonville, where they ran in the mill of the Jefferson 
Manufacturing Co. for many years. 

About this time the late John C. Mason and J. M. 
Bassett were admitted to the firm. They, after several 
years, withdrew, and Mr. Cleveland continued the busi- 
ness until his death, on April 28, 1871. Since the build- 
ing of the first set of cards hundreds of sets, with improve- 
ments from time to time, have been built, and put in 
successful operation in first-class mills. After the 
death of Mr. Cleveland the firm was managed by 
S. W. Goddard, who introduced many new machines 
and many improvements in the machines made previous- 
ly, in all about fifty machines for different uses in woolen 
mills, and all kinds of cards for wool, worsted, felt and 
shoddy; also twisting, roving, spooling, picking, drying 



SOUTH JUNCTION SHOP 97 

and cloth finishing machinery. The product was sold 
throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

This business was subsequently bought by James H. 
Whittle, and moved to Harlow Street, to a plant which he 
built, and which is now owned and occupied by the Rock- 
wood Sprinkler Co. About 1910 the Johnson & Bassett 
Co. bought all of the patterns of this full line of machin- 
ery. It does not build any new machines but furnishes 
repairs on existing machines. 

In February, 1863, the late Hon. Isaac Davis sold the 
lower Junction shop, built by Eli Thayer in 1854 for gun 
work, and used in 1861 for soldiers' barracks, with twelve 
acres of land, to Jordan, Marsh & Co., of Boston, who 
intended to convert it into a woolen-mill, with sixteen 
sets of machinery, making it one of the largest woolen- 
mills in the State. This shop was first known as the 
South Junction shop; later, as the Pistol Shop Barracks 
and Adriatic Mills. Jordan, Marsh & Co., made extensive 
improvements. The main building was four hundred 
feet long, forty feet wide and two stories high. The sec- 
ond floor was devoted to carding and spinning, and was 
arranged for twelve sets of cards and twenty packs of 
four thousand eight hundred spindles. The first floor 
was for finishing and weaving; the weaving all to be done 
by looms made by George Crompton, of Worcester. The 
main belt was one hundred and fourteen feet long, and 
thirty inches wide, double throughout, and made at the 
shop of Graton & Knight then in Front Street. Particu- 
lar attention was called to this, as showing that the equip- 
ment of a woolen mill could be procured in Worcester; 
the cards, jacks, dryers, dressers, extractors, hydraulic 
presses, etc., were furnished by the Cleveland Co. 

This mill was subsequently owned by the Worcester 
Woolen Co., incorporated in 1881. The building was 



98 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

five hundred and eighty-two feet long, forty-two wide, 
two wings — one seventy-two by sixty, the other ninety 
by fifty-six. The number of hands, at the beginning 
two hundred, subsequently increased to two hundred and 
thirty. They had thirteen sets of cards, fifty-eight broad 
and two narrow looms, and twenty Bancroft operators. 
They made fine woolens, cassimeres and suitings, and 
produced from five thousand to eight thousand yards per 
week, the annual sales amounting to six hundred thou- 
sand dollars. The Messrs. Legg came from Rhode Island 
in March, 1881, James Legg, Jr., became the owner of the 
mill, and it was run under the name of James Legg, Jr. 
& Co., until July, 1881, when the firm of James & John 
Legg, succeeded. They operated the mill until 1890 
when a Corporation was formed under Massachusetts 
laws, by Edward D. Thayer, Jr., as President, John Legg, 
Superintendent, Charles J. Little, Treasurer, and Win- 
throp B. Fay. Mr. Little resigned after one year and 
was succeeded by Edward D. Thayer as Treasurer. 

Mr. Thayer died in 1907, and Mr. Fay died in 1909. 
January 1, 1911 the Thayer interest was purchased by 
John Legg, his son, J. Francis Legg, and George C. Bry- 
ant. The Fay interest was purchased by Frank S. Fay, 
a nephew of W. B. Fay, who had been connected with the 
mill since 1885. The new organization was: John Legg, 
President and General Manager; Frank S. Fay, Treasu- 
rer; J. Francis Legg, Vice President and Superintendent. 

In 1916 a large Preparation Plant was built. The plant 
is now a fourteen Set Mill with twenty mules and seventy- 
two broad looms, equipped and organized to produce any- 
thing from a cheap cloaking to the finest uniform cloths, 
of which many have been accepted as U. S. standard. 

The Alma Woolen Mills, in Green Street, employed in 
1889 two hundred hands in the manufacture of fancy 



WOOL SPINNING MACHINERY 99 

cassimeres and suitings, running fifty-nine looms and 
eight sets of cards with attendant machinery. 

In 1868-69 experiments looking towards making the 
jacks self-operating were going on in several parts of the 
country, and were being conducted in the shop of Cleve- 
land & Bassett, in Worcester, by Edward Wright. 

The failure of Cleveland & Bassett in the fall of 1869 
brought Mr. Wright's experiments in their works to an 
end, but he arranged to go on with Johnson & Co., jack 
builders, and July 1, 1870, the copartnership was formed 
between Johnson & Bassett. The first self-operating 
attachment for jacks of their make was put at work in 
the mill of John Chase & Sons, at Webster, in 1870, after 
which time Johnson & Bassett built up an extensive 
business in the manufacture and sale of self -operating 
heads for application to hand-jacks, self-operating jacks 
complete with heads, and self-operating mules. The 
business was located in the Merrifield Buildings, 180 
Union Street, until October 1, 1886, when it was removed 
to Mr. Bassett' s building, corner of Foster and Bridge 
Streets, where it is now operated by George M. Bassett. 

The manufacture of wool spinning machinery is not a 
growing but, on the other hand, a decadent industry. 
There are several reasons for this. In 1880, when the 
United States had a population of approximately half 
what it has now, there were about fifty per cent more 
mills in the country using wool spinning mules than at 
present. The chief reason for this enormous reduction 
in wool spinning machinery is the tremendous growth of 
the manufacture of worsteds. In 1880 there were prac- 
tically no worsted mills in this country. In the manufac- 
ture of worsteds, wool spinning machinery is not required; 
then, too, twenty-five or thirty years ago most people 
wore woolen underwear and woolen hosiery. This 



100 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

practice has almost entirely ceased and the result has been 
the passing out of the woolen knitting industry. There 
used to be three or four hundred knitting mills using wool- 
en mules, most of which have disappeared. In 1880 
there were eight builders of wool spinning machinery in 
this country. Today there are only two, this company 
and one other. The other six have all failed or gone out 
of business. This company alone can make all of the 
mules that are required in this country and Canada. 

The Crompton Carpet Co. was organized in 1870 by 
George Crompton, who, with the superintendent, Horace 
Wyman, invented and patented a loom for weaving 
Brussels carpets by power, there being at that time no 
power loom for that purpose, except the Bigelow loom 
and two makes of English looms, the right to use which 
in this country could not be obtained. The manufacture 
of Brussels carpets, therefore, was confined to the Bigelow 
Co. at Clinton, and the greater part of the carpets used 
in the United States were imported from England, and 
a high price was consequently maintained. Mr. Cromp- 
ton associated with himself in the enterprise Dr. Joseph 
Sargent, William Cross, Horace Wyman, W. W. Rice, 
William H. Jourdan, and Calvin Foster — George Cromp- 
ton being president of the company; William Cross, 
treasurer; Joseph Sargent, Jr., agent and M. J. Whittall, 
superintendent. After the death of Mr. Cross, the late 
Joseph Sargent, Jr., was elected treasurer. 

They commenced operations with sixteen looms of 
Crompton make. The factory was located in South 
Worcester and was a two- story building, French roof, 
115 x 60, run by water-power, the amount being esti- 
mated at one hundred horse-power. In 1871 a dye-house 
was added to the mill (which stood near the site of the 
old White & Boyden mill, burned August, 1863, and re- 



CARPETS 101 

f erred to previously). This enterprise was the beginning 
of the general manufacture of Brussels carpets in this 
country. Other companies were soon formed, the re- 
strictions were removed from the sale of the English-made 
looms, and, in consequence, the price of carpets rapidly 
declined from three dollars per yard in 1870 to one dollar 
per yard in 1879. The company started with one hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars capital, and, before their 
operations ceased, had increased the number of their 
looms from sixteen to thirty-six, and continued until 
1879, when the machinery was sold to W. J. Hogg, Sr., 
of Philadelphia, and later the building containing the 
carpet machinery was leased to Mr. Hogg. 

In 1884 Mr. Hogg built a yarn-mill on part of the land 
he had purchased of Mr. Crompton, on the site of the 
first Packachoag Spinning-Mill. This building was one 
hundred by sixty feet. Mr. Hogg employed about 
three hundred and twenty hands. 

The Packachoag Worsted and Yarn-Mill was built 
and owned by George Crompton. This mill was near 
the Crompton Carpet Company, and was managed by 
Joseph Sargent, Jr. In the yarn-mill they started with 
twenty-four spinning frames and accompanying machin- 
ery; later, Mr. Crompton built another yarn-mill adjoin- 
ing the first. The first Packachoag Mill was burned in 
1884; loss, one hundred and eighty-one thousand dollars. 
After the fire Mr. Crompton sold the land and the ruins 
of the Packachoag Mill in part to M. J. Whittall and in 
part to William James Hogg, Jr. 

Mr. Whittall, who was superintendent of the Crompton 
Carpet-Mill from the commencement of the business, was 
from Stourport, England, where he was manager of the 
Severn Valley Carpet Works of Fawcett & Spurway. In 
1879 Mr. Whittall returned to England, and while there 



102 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

purchased eight Crossley Carpet Looms. He brought 
these to this country, and began to operate them in a 
building leased of the Wicks Manufacturing Company. 
In 1882 another story was added, and Mr. Whittall added 
eight more carpet-looms; but business increasing, more 
room was needed, and he determined to erect a building 
for himself. In 1883 he bought of Mr. Crompton a piece 
of land facing Mr. Crompton' s original carpet-mill, and 
erected a building one hundred and seventy-five by sixty 
feet, two stories in height. This mill was finished during 
that year, and the machinery from the Wicks building, 
together with fourteen new carpet-looms, was put into 
operation. In 1884 an extension was added, together 
with twelve looms, making forty-two in all. 

It will be recollected that Mr. Whittall had purchased 
part of the land and all of the buildings that remained of 
the Packachoag Mill property, and on this spot he erected 
another carpet-mill, and also repaired the old yarn-mill, 
engine-house, etc. In this new mill he had seventeen 
new looms, making fifty-nine carpet-looms in use in his 
business. He manufactured six-frame and five-frame 
Wilton and body Brussels carpets, and employed about 
three hundred and twenty hands in 1889, when he built 
what is known as the Whittall Mill No. 2, a two-story 
brick building, 250 x 60, thus increasing his spinning and 
weaving capacity. At the same time, another story was 
added to the spinning mill making it three stories high. 
It was named The Edgeworth Mill. 

Mr. Whittall formed a copartnership in the spinning 
department with Alfred Thomas, who came from England 
in 1880. This copartnership still exists and Mr. Thomas 
is in charge of the Edgeworth Mills. 

In 1891, Whittall Mill No. 3, a two-story brick building 
was added to the plant. The same year, the mill of the 



CARPETS . 103 

Palmer Carpet Co. at Palmer, Mass., with twenty-four 
looms and employing about one hundred hands, was pur- 
chased. In 1897, Mr. WhittalPs son, Matthew P. Whittall, 
became associated with him in business. 

In 1901, the plant of William J. Hogg was purchased. 
This consisted of the yarn mill built on the land purchased 
from Mr. Crompton, the site of the first Packachoag 
Spinning Mill which was burned in 1884, and the Hogg 
Carpet Mills, which consisted of the original Crompton 
Mill and a mill erected by Mr. Hogg. This brought to Mr. 
Whittall the ownership of the mills in which twenty 
years previously he was the Superintendent. 

In 1902, an addition of one story was made to Whittall 
Mill Xo. 2, while the mills purchased from Mr. Hogg 
were improved, the water power developed, and two new 
turbine wheels added. 

In 1903, the old Crompton Mills were extended, 
doubling their capacity. In 1904, what is probably one 
of the finest dye-houses in the country was built, which 
contains the most modern washers, dyers, and drying 
machines. It is a brick building 235 x 75, the upper 
story of which is devoted to the storage of worsted yarns. 

A new problem was now confronted. There were 
three power plants which were neither economical nor 
adequate. A central station was therefore constructed 
to distribute power to the entire works. There were 
installed boilers of 2250 H. P. and a large engine driving 
an electric generator. 

In 1905, a six-story wool warehouse was built at the 
Edgeworth Mill, which has about three million pounds 
capacity. This storehouse is used for the storing of raw 
wools. This same year a third story and tower were 
added to Mill No. 3. In 1906, Worcester Carpet Mill 
No. 3, consisting of a four-story mill 145 x 60, was added 



104 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

to the plant, also a brick building to be used for supply 
rooms, and a piping and blacksmith shop. 

In 1906, the business had grown to such a size that the 
Whittall Associates were organized, of which M. J. Whittall 
is President and Treasurer, and M. P. Whittall, Assistant 
Treasurer. 

In 1907, Mr. Whittall purchased the machinery of the 
Percy Rug Company, an Axminster plant for the manu- 
facture of rugs which found a market throughout the 
United States and in foreign countries. 

In 1910 there was added a four-story brick building, 
60 x 266 feet, on the fourth floor of which are located 
commodious, well-lighted offices. A coal pocket of ten 
thousand tons capacity has also been added. The total 
floor space of the plant is five hundred thousand square 
feet, and there are three hundred and fifty looms in 
operation. The salesrooms are located in New York, 
San Francisco, and St. Paul, Minn. 

A new carpet has recently been added to the products 
of the Mills called Chenille, or Scotch Axminster. It is 
a heavy, high-piled fabric in which the rows of tufts are 
set by hand. The looms weave rugs as wide as fifteen 
feet, seamless, and of any length. 

An advertising department which conducts a general 
campaign of national advertising has been recently organ- 
ized. 

At present about fifteen hundred hands are employed, 
mostly English and Americans, ninety per cent of whom 
are skilled labor. 

The plant is equipped with automatic sprinklers and 
other fire apparatus to conform to Massachusetts laws. 

The operatives do not belong to any federation of labor 
or labor union, but have what is called a "Shop Club," 
with which the administration of the Whittall Associates 



THREAD 105 

confers at regular intervals. There is also a mutual aid 
society which pays employees a stated sum per week in 
case of disability. In case of death the family receives 
a benefit. In case of injury, the operatives have the 
services of a physician without cost. 

Early in 1916 the plant of the Cochrane Mfg. Co. at 
East Dedham, Mass., was purchased. This consisted of 
seven buildings with power house and office building and 
employed seven hundred and fifty men. It has produced 
Velvet and Axminster carpets. It is the purpose of the 
purchaser to manufacture here the better quality of less 
expensive fabrics. 

The manufacture of thread has been conducted in 
Worcester for many years. This is a most favorable place 
for this industry, because of the excellent shipping facil- 
ities, and the fact that the Worcester Bleach & Dye 
Works — one of the best dye-houses in the country — is 
located here. Thread was first manufactured in Wor- 
cester in 1865. The business was discontinued from 1879 
until 1881 when it became a rapidly-growing industry. 
The Glasgo Thread Company, so called by reason of the 
fact that the company controlled a spinning-mill at Glas- 
go, Conn., was incorporated in March, 1883, and for a 
time the business was conducted in Foster Street, in the 
building of Charles Baker. In 1885 the company re- 
moved to Beacon Street. The average daily production 
was four thousand dozen of two hundred yards. 

The process of manufacture is most interesting, and 
consists in carding cotton until the fibres lie parallel 
to each other ; the loose rolls are then taken to the drawing- 
machine, which consists of a series of rolls, each set re- 
volving faster than the preceding, which reduces the 
strand to the required degree of fineness. The strands 
are repeatedly united and reduced. This process is 



106 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

called " doubling," and ensures a uniform, strong and 
perfect product. The united threads, which are called 
" slivers," are then spun into a single thread on a mule. 
After being dyed the skeins are subjected to the opera- 
tion of drying, and are then put upon spools for finishing 
by saturating with sizing, and passing over rapidly 
revolving brushes. 

Important improvements have been made in thread 
machinery since the introduction of its manufacture in 
this city; the most important is the automatic winder, 
with which the operator can wind from two to four times 
as much, and with less exertion, than he could formerly 
do by hand. The automatic machine is set to wind any 
number of yards the operator may desire. 

The Glasgo Thread Co. was the first to introduce fine 
Sea Island thread upon pound spools. Previously only 
the small spools were used, but later almost any size might 
be found, from two hundred to thirty thousand yards, 
which led to a considerable saving to the consumer. 
The greater part of the thread used by the manufactur- 
ing trade was put up on large spools holding from six 
thousand to thirty thousand yards. This company is no 
longer in existence. 

The Ruddy Thread Co., manufacturers of all grades 
of cotton thread — principally for the manufacturing 
trade, sewing-machines, corset-works and shoe manu- 
factories, was established in 1887, and located at 75 
Central Street, under the management of Robert Ruddy. 

The Worcester Thread Company, originally Smith, 
Barr & Co. (Morrison Smith and Thomas N. Barr), was 
located in its River Mill at Clinton where it began busi- 
ness in 1893. Early in 1894, the late Edward D. Thayer, 
Jr. and William B. Scofield acquired an interest in it. 
They incorporated the Company as The Worcester Thread 



THREAD 107 

Company and moved the plant to Worcester in one of 
the Estabrook buildings on Hermon Street. The capital 
stock was $35,000. The Company manufactured linen 
(flax) threads and yarns for the shoe, harness and carpet 
trades. The business was finally sold to the Linen Thread 
Company of America in the early part of 1902. 

The Wachusett Thread Co. was formed in January, 
1889, by Peter Wood, James Montgomery arid Charles 
Dolan. They were previously connected for many years 
with the Ruddy Thread Co. which sold out to the Ameri- 
can Thread Co. in 1898. They started business in April, 
1899, renting two stories in the building at No. 116 Gold 
Street. They soon found it necessary to occupy the 
entire building. Later they built the two-story building 
on Middle River Road to do part of the work, which could 
not be done in their Gold Street mill. 

After a few years they purchased a tract of land on 
Middle River Road with the intention of erecting a new 
factory, which was built in 1911, where they could have 
all their machinery under one roof. 

The officers of the Corporation are Peter Wood, Presi- 
dent; James Montgomery, Secretary and Treasurer; 
Charles Dolan, Superintendent. 

The Cranska Thread Co., Floyd Cranska, Treasurer, is 
located at 70 Beacon Street. 

C. H. Hutchins & Co., 2 Allen Court, now 15 Federal 
Street, establishedin 1876, manufactured in 1889 elastic and 
non-elastic webs for suspenders and stocking-supporters, 
also spool tapes, used by cotton and woolen manufactur- 
ers to tie up their goods. The material used was cotton 
and rubber, the rubber being woven in process of manu- 
facture. The looms were the Knowles fancy loom, one 
of which would weave twenty-five hundred yards per day. 
This became the Hutchins Narrow Fabric Co. and was 



108 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

sold in 1900 to Ephraim Bond who after a short time 
moved the business to Springfield, Mass. 

The L. D. Thayer Mfg. Co. was located in 1889 in the 
building formerly occupied by Ethan Allen. The Com- 
pany was organized in 1878, and manufactured tapes, 
bindings, galloons and webbings. 

A. G. Hildreth, in Stevens' Block, manufactured over- 
alls, pants, shirts, butchers' frocks, etc., and employed 
forty-five hands, using sixteen sewing-machines. In 
1887 three hundred and twenty-five thousand yards of 
cloth were cut up, and in 1888 five hundred thousand 
yards. The business is now located at 25 Hermon Street. 

The Holland Hosiery Co. was established in Hallowell, 
Me., in 1883, moved to Worcester in 1886, and manufac- 
tured seamless half hose. 

The Worcester Felting Co., in Foster Street, in 1889, 
did a large business in the manufacture of linings, up- 
holstery, saddlery felts, petershams, rubber-boot and 
shoe linings and trimming felts. 

George L. Brownell manufactured improved twisting 
machinery of his own invention for laying hard and soft 
twines, lines and cordage. 

In 1889, he was located at No. 16 Union Street, one of 
the buildings now owned by The Wire Goods Co., occu- 
pying one floor and basement and employing fifteen hands, 
which were divided as to nationality about evenly among 
iVmericans, Irish, and French Canadians. The above 
premises were occupied until 1895 when, because of a 
steadily increasing business, Mr. Brownell moved to the 
present location, 49-51 Union Street, a factory built in 
1882 for The Worcester Barb Fence Co. by the late Ste- 
phen Salisbury, Sr. He occupied the first floor and base- 
ment until 1909 when the business occupied the entire 
building. At the present time, under normal conditions, 



TWISTING MACHINERY 109 

Mr. Brownell employs between one hundred and one 
hundred twenty-five hands, the nationalities now includ- 
ing Americans, Irish, Swedish, Lithuanians, Poles, 
French Canadians, and Greeks. 

He specializes on twisting machinery and makes ma- 
chines for working almost any substance known to the 
textile trade varying in size from machines adapted to 
make a fine silk fine to machinery for making rope up to 
three-quarters inch diameter, and including improved 
twisting and spinning machinery for making hard and 
soft twines, lines and cordage, wet or dry twist, from cot- 
ton, linen, hemp, manila, sisal, paper, silk, jute, hair, 
wool, etc. C. L. Brownell is associated with his father 
in the business. 

In 1889 the Carroll Machine and Spindle Works manu- 
factured machinery for twisting yarns. 

Among the smaller manufactures connected with 
textile fabrics, but none the less important, was that of 
improved loom-reeds, manufactured by M. Place & Co., 
whose business was originally established by Silas Dins- 
more in 1840. 

In 1889 William H. Brown, 81 Mechanic Street, manu- 
factured a number of ingenious tools for the use of card- 
ers. This business was established in 1855. 

In 1876 B. S. Roy, located, in 1889, at 75 Beacon Street, 
began the manufacture of card-grinders, for grinding 
card-clothing, all his machines being of his own invention. 
Mr. Roy was formerly superintendent in a cotton-mill, 
and, recognizing the necessity of a better method for 
grinding the card-clothing, engaged in this business. The 
old method of grinding cards was by spreading emery on 
a board, which was rubbed back and forth over the ends 
of the wires, thus sharpening the teeth. This process was 
called by the English " strapping" or " strickling " the 



110 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



cards. The next improvement was the construction of a 
machine, with a cylinder covered with emery, but with 
no traverse wheel. This method of grinding teeth made 
them uneven. In Mr. Roy's improvement, the traverse 
wheel runs with an endless chain back and forth on the 
cylinder over the teeth of the card with a rotary motion. 
These machines were sold in this country, South America, 
Mexico, Canada, England and Ireland. This business 
is now located at 775 Southbridge Street, under the name 
of B. S. Roy and Son. 

J. H. Whittle, established in 1880, manufactured tin 
spindles for mules, spinning-frames, drawing-cans, filling- 
boxes, condenser-rolls, slasher-cylinders, drying-cans, 
etc., rubber-rolls for woolen-cards, and immersion-rolls 
of copper. 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 111 



CHAPTER IV 

Foundries — Machine Tools — Agricultural Implements — Wrenches. 

William A. Wheeler was one of the oldest iron founders 
in the State, having begun in 1812; he moved from Hard- 
wick to Brookfield, and from the latter place came to 
Worcester in 1823 and established a blacksmith's business 
at the corner of Thomas and Union Streets. Among 
other pieces of work he made the doors of the old Court- 
House in Worcester. This blacksmith's shop was on the 
site of the foundry. In 1825 Mr. Wheeler, in company 
with George T. Rice, H. W. Miller and A. D. Foster, 
under the name of William A. Wheeler & Co., made all 
kinds of castings, fire-proof book-cases and doors. To 
run a fan for his cupola-furnace, Mr. Wheeler had the 
first steam-engine, or one of the first ever operated in 
Worcester. In 1826 the business passed under the con- 
trol of the Worcester & Brookfield Iron Foundry, which 
had furnaces in both places. 

Daniel Heywood & Co. furnished at this time all kinds 
of castings. The demand appears to have been consider- 
able, for in 1827 Washburn & Goddard received orders 
for machine castings made at Stafford, Conn. 

In 1828 Sumner Smith (Worcester Iron Foundry) put 
a furnace in blast near the paper-mill of Elijah Burbank, 
at Quinsigamond, and had for sale every description of 
iron castings, cast-iron plows, stoves, cauldron kettles, 
hollow-ware, oven frames, Darby's patent wheel-boxes. 
In 1833 the Worcester Iron Foundry removed from Quin- 
sigamond to the first mill privilege north of Main Street, 
one mile from the Court-House, on the Worcester road 
leading to West Boylston. 



112 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

In 1831 or 1832 Mr. Wheeler returned to Worcester 
and reorganized his shop, abandoned the steam-engine 
which he had previously put in, and substituted horse- 
power. He continued to do a constantly increasing 
business until the foundry was enlarged, about 1840, 
when another steam-engine was added and a machine 
shop attached. The castings were made for the iron- 
workers and tool-makers in the city, and comprised cast- 
ings for heavy gearing, besides a variety of other work, 
including heavy sheet-iron work, fire-proof safes, mill- 
irons, water-wheel irons, cages, coupling-boxes, plow- 
castings, patent ovens, ash-holes, boiler-doors and pipe- 
boxes; factory shafting was also turned. About the time 
his machine-shop was started Mr. Wheeler procured an 
iron planer, to be run by hand. This was the first iron 
planer in Worcester, or in the State. It weighed about 
one hundred and fifty pounds, and was three and one-half 
feet high. The bed was four feet long and twenty inches 
wide. Mr. Wheeler designed the first boring-machine in 
Worcester, and in 1838 got out patterns for cook-stoves, 
and box-stoves for heating, which he manufactured. In 
1842 he invented a furnace for heating buildings with 
wood or coal. 

In 1838 he started the manufacture of brass castings 
for general use. When Mr. Wheeler commenced business 
he made five hundred or six hundred pounds of castings 
per day, and increased until his daily production was ten 
tons. He began with three or four men, and in the height 
of his prosperity employed two hundred. In 1852 Mr. 
Wheeler's son (Charles) became interested in the business 
at Thomas Street, and when William A. Wheeler died, in 
1873, it passed into the hands of William F. Wheeler, and 
finally to the Wheeler Foundry Company, which remained 
at the old location for a time, and then moved to 138 



FOUNDRIES 113 

Mechanic Street, where the business employed about 
ninety men. In 1914 the company was obliged to aban- 
don this location and under the name of the Wheeler 
Foundry Company has acquired a building site at 174 
Prescott Street. 

In 1843 the Washington Square Iron and Brass Foun- 
dry, built by A. A. Trask, was operated by S. Trask & 
Co. in the manufacture of cauldron-kettles, stoves, oven- 
doors, ash-pits, etc., and in 1843 a new foundry was built 
near the Boston and Worcester Railroad by Henry P. 
Howe, and was occupied by George Goodnow in the manu- 
facture of iron, copper, brass and composition castings. 

In 1847 Oliver K. Earle built a foundry on the corner 
of Canal and Foundry Streets. He sold out to A. B. 
Chaffee in 1848, who took Jason Chapin into company 
the same year. They started in business to supply Howe 
& Goddard with their brass castings. In 1852 Chapin 
purchased Chaffee's interest, and in 1853 built a shop 
in Manchester Street, where he continued until 1859, when 
he built the shop in Summer Street, where he continued 
until 1887, when he sold out to L. H. Wells. 

In 1849 Fitch & Jones made castings in iron and brass, 
and were succeeded in 1850 by E. & D. H. Fitch & Co. 

In August, 1850, McFarland & Bisco, of Leicester, 
started in the malleable iron business, which was con- 
tinued in 1851 by Wood, McFarland & Co. They occu- 
pied the building known as the Arcade, formerly as 
"The Old Brewery," near the "Western depot." Here, 
with one air furnace and two small annealing furnaces, 
they commenced the making of malleable castings for 
guns, carriages, harness buckles, wrenches and parts of 
cotton and woolen machinery, previously made of wrought 
iron. At this time there was but one other malleable iron 
foundry in the State, which was located at Easton. The 



114 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

process of malleable iron founding is different from that 
of ordinary casting. The purpose to which the product 
is applied requires a greater degree of tensile strength 
and tenacity in the materials and a closer attention to all 
the details. Instead of placing the coal and pig-iron in 
the furnace together, the pig-iron is thrown into what is 
called the air furnace by itself and subjected to an intense 
heat; it is then drawn out and poured into moulds, in 
which state the metal is very hard and brittle; it is then 
packed in an annealing furnace and subjected to strong 
heat for about nine days and nights, when the furnaces 
are opened and the pots cooled; the iron is then unpacked 
and cleaned ready for delivery, when it has both fineness 
of grain and great toughness. 

The old firm of Wood, McFarland & Co. remained in 
business but a short time; their interest was taken by 
Warren McFarland, who continued with a silent partner 
until 1877, when he became the sole owner. From one 
air furnace and two annealing furnaces the plant was 
increased until it had two air furnaces and six annealing 
furnaces. 

In 1880 George B. Buckingham, who had been con- 
nected with Mr. McFarland since 1873, took charge of 
the works, Mr. McFarland remaining connected with it 
until his death, in 1884. In December, 1886, Mr. Buck- 
ingham purchased the property of the Worcester Malle- 
able Iron Foundry, that being the second known by this 
name, which had been run about three years, and was 
thereafter run as the Worcester Malleable Iron Works. 
The line of goods made included different parts of agri- 
cultural implements, guns, pistols, sewing-machines, 
cotton and woolen machinery, in fact, all parts of ma- 
chines or tools where strength and lightness are combined. 
The use of malleable iron and steel castings, made by the 



FOUNDRIES 115 

above works, was largely owing to the reasonable price 
in comparison with forgings, as odd shapes can be more 
easily produced than by the forge. 

The second malleable iron foundry, known as the 
Worcester Malleable Iron Foundry, was started in Man- 
chester Street, by Waite, Chadsey & Co., in 1852. The 
Arcade Malleable Iron Co. moved to the present location 
at Albany Corner Muskeego Street in 1907. It was incor- 
porated in 1906 and employs over one hundred men of 
various nationalities. The officers are : H. Paul Bucking- 
ham, president; Thomas T. Booth, vice-president; Alonzo 
G. Davis, treasurer. 

In 1857 Oliver K. Earle, who had previously been in 
the lumber business, was admitted into partnership with 
Fitch & Jones, who continued business at the Union Street 
Foundry and also at the Junction Foundry in Southbridge 
Street. After Mr. Earle' s death, Willard Jones, Wood 
& Light, Richardson, Merriam & Co. succeeded; it was 
then taken by Otis Warren. The first work done at 
this foundry was the manufacture of the iron-work for the 
front of Foster's Block, at the corner of Main and Pearl 
Streets. C. S. Weeks & Co., Slocum & Stickels, A. B. 
Davidson and the Junction Foundry Co. did business in 
succession at this location. 

Caleb & J. A. Colvin commenced the foundry business 
at Danielsonville, Conn., in 1863, where they manufac- 
tured stoves and machinery castings. In 1865 Caleb 
sold his interest to his brother and moved to Worcester, 
where he bought and built his plant in Gold Street. 
In 1891 the L. W. Pond Machine and Foundry Co. suc- 
ceeded to the business. The Company was incorporated 
in 1902. Thomas O'Leary is president and treasurer. 
About two hundred men are employed here. 



116 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

J. A. Colvin subsequently moved to Worcester, and 
a new partnership was formed, which continued until 
1880, when he built the present foundry in Jackson 
Street. Mr. Colvin died in 1915. The business, now 
known as the Jackson Street Foundry, is owned and 
carried on by his estate, J. B. Colvin special administrator 
and manager. 

Heald & Brittan built on Foundry Street, about 1866, 
and made iron castings. They removed from there to 
the Thomas Street Foundry, when the Wheeler Foundry 
Company moved to Mechanic Street. This foundry 
afterwards came into the possession of the Holyoke 
Machine Company. 

L. H. Wells and Herbert M. Rice began business Janu- 
ary 1, 1867, in North Foster Street. Mr. Wells learned 
his trade of Jason Chapin, and was subsequently foreman 
of the late George Cromp ton's foundry, in Green Street. 
Mr. Wells purchased Mr. Rice's interest in September, 
1869, and in 1877 invented his bronze metal, largely and 
successfully used for bearings. By the use of chemicals 
the oxidation of the tin, one of the ingredients, was pre- 
vented; the metal was ten per cent denser than the ordi- 
nary bronze, and of a very firm, tough structure. In 
1887 Mr. Wells purchased the Chapin Foundry in Sum- 
mer Street, to which he removed. Mr. Wells had the 
largest set of furnaces in the city; his castings were cleaned 
by power in a large water rumble, a hollow cylinder, 
which made ninety revolutions per minute. Emery wheels 
were used for smoothing the castings. 

The process of casting consisted of melting the metal 
in crucibles made of plumbago, and then turning the mol- 
ten metal into moulds. When taken out the castings were 
cleaned and finished. This business is now carried on by 
the Wells Chemical Bronze Works incorporated in 1906. 



FOUNDRIES 117 

The officers are C. A. Harrington, President; F. C. Har- 
rington, Treasurer; M. E. Hamilton, Secretary and Man- 
ager. The business was moved from Summer Street to 
the present location, corner Temple and Harding Streets, 
in 1914. The plant is thoroughly equipped, employs 
sixteen hands and has a capacity of four tons of metal 
per day. 

Prespey Pero located in Hermon Street in 1877. He 
manufactured machinery and tool castings, and made a 
specialty of light castings. His business has grown from 
employing three or four men until he now employs from 
forty to fifty. The business is now conducted by the 
Pero Foundry Co. Prespey Pero, President; Miss Ida 
Pero, Treasurer; Edward Pero, Vice-president. 

The Star Foundry was established in 1880 by George 
Crompton, and started with forty men. Double that 
number were employed in 1889 on all kinds of work, 
including steam-engines, machinists' tools and castings 
for building purposes, although the principal product 
was loom castings for the Crompton Loom Works. 

Luther Shaw & Son in 1889 did a business in brass 
castings, and manufactured Babbitt metal and solder, 
also all kinds of brass composition, zinc, lead and white 
metal castings. They also made gong-bells, faucets and 
copper castings. Their product was sold throughout 
New England, and some of it in New York State, but the 
bulk of it was used in this city and county. The metals 
used were principally copper, tin and antimony. The 
business was for some years carried on by William Oak- 
ley, then by Oakley & Taylor. About fifteen years ago 
the firm name was Kindred & Taylor and for the past 
five years the business has been conducted by Walter 
B. Taylor at 29 Jackson Street. 



118 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Arnold & Pierce, at the Hammond Street Foundry, 
established in 1882, began with six men, and in 1889 
employed twenty-two. They manufactured castings for 
the makers of machinists' tools. 

The firm of A. Kabley & Co., composed of A. Kabley, 
Alonzo Whitcomb and F. E. Reed, located at 57 Gold 
Street, started with fifteen men. They supplied all the 
castings for the machinists' tools of F. E. Reed and 
Alonzo Whitcomb & Co., besides doing some general 
work. The business is now carried on under the patron- 
age of the White omb-Blaisdell Machine Tool Co. The 
foundry at 25 Southgate Street employs two hundred men. 

The Standard Foundry Co. was incorporated in 1899 
and has a fine plant at the corner of Gardner and Tainter 
Streets. This company makes a specialty of light ma- 
chinery castings. The officers are F. T. Williams, presi- 
dent; C. F. Hutchins, vice president; T. T. Booth, 
treasurer. One hundred and forty men are employed. 

The manufacture of machinists' tools has, for many 
years, had a most prominent place among the industries 
of Worcester. To Samuel Flagg, or, as he was more fam- 
iliarly known, "Uncle Sammy Flagg," belongs the dis- 
tinction of having first engaged in this business in Wor- 
cester, whither he came, from West Boylston, in 1839, to 
secure better facilities and to save cartage of castings 
which he used in his machine-shop in West Boylston, 
where he built tools and cotton machinery from patterns 
made by William A. Wheeler. He made a turning-lathe, 
which was the first one Mr. Wheeler had when he started 
his machine-shop. The ways and frame of his machine 
were of wood, the head and tail-box of iron. 

Mr. Flagg hired room and power of Samuel Davis, the 
lessee of Court Mills, and there made hand and engine 
lathes. He had no planer when he commenced. At 



MACHINE TOOLS 119 

that time the planing of iron was looked upon as a remark- 
able accomplishment. The work was done by hand- 
chipping and filing, which was of necessity tedious and 
unsatisfactory. The old Court Mills, located on Mill 
Brook, at the junction of Lincoln Square and what is now 
Union Street, was the cradle of the machinists' tools 
industry in Worcester, as it was of many others. Mr. 
Flagg started with eight or ten men, and every one 
thought that he was visionary to expect to keep them 
occupied in building machinists' tools. He was the first 
man in Worcester to use a planer in this business. 
Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, and Thomas Daniels, the 
inventor of the Daniels planer, were also tenants. Dea- 
con Richard Ball was at this time Mr. Daniels' foreman. 

In 1845 Thomson, Skinner & Co. succeeded to Mr. 
Flagg's business. They moved to Merrifield's building, 
and, shortly before the fire of 1854, were absorbed by the 
New Haven Manufacturing Company, and removed from 
the city. Mr. Flagg continued without a competitor 
until Pierson Cowie started in the old Red Mill on the 
Green Street location of the Crompton Loom Works. 
From there he removed to the then new building of Howe 
& Goddard, subsequently Rice, Barton & Fales, in Foster 
Street, and thence into the building where W. T. Merri- 
field's engine was located in 1889. 

In 1845 or 1846 Cowie made six iron-planing machines 
which were driven with a common log chain passing over 
a drum at each end of the machine. This arrangement 
was, in a few years, superseded by a rack and gears. He 
was succeeded in 1845 or 1846 by Woodburn, Light & 
Co., who, in 1851, moved to Estabrook's new building 
at the Junction, built by Charles Wood and Col. James 
Estabrook. Later the firm became Wood, Light & Co., 
and, in 1870, built the shop subsequently occupied by 



120 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Mclver Brothers, where they at one time did a very 
flourishing business and had the best equipped shop in 
New England, employing one hundred and seventy-five 
men. They introduced greatly improved methods for 
turning shafting, increasing the amount from forty to 
fifty feet per day to three hundred feet. They also in- 
vented and manufactured bolt-cutting machines, the best 
then known. Wood, Light & Co. and Mclver Brothers 
later went out of business and the building is now part 
of the plant of the Wright Wire Company. 

The building of railroads created an increased demand 
for machinists' tools, and in 1845, Samuel C. Coombs, 
a machinist in the employ of Phelps & Bickford, in com- 
pany with R. R. Shepard and Martin Lathe, a wood- 
worker, in the same shop, formed a copartnership under 
the style of S. C. Coombs & Co. They started in the 
Court Mills, then moved to Dr. Heywood's shop. Before 
they moved C. Wheelock was taken into partnership. 
From the Heywood shop, in Central Street, subsequently 
used by the Harrington Brothers as a paint shop, they 
removed to the Estabrook shop, where they occupied 
room in the northern end of the building, where their 
successors, the Lathe & Morse Tool Co., continued until 
they moved to their own building, in Gold Street, where 
they were located in 1889. Their business from the start 
was the manufacture of lathes and planers. They em- 
ployed on an average about fifty hands, and their product 
went all over the world. The Lathe & Morse Tool Co. 
was succeeded by the Draper Machine Tool Co. which 
was later, in 1905, merged in the Whitcomb-Blaisdell 
Machine Tool Co. at 134 Gold Street. 

The first exhibit of machinists' tools was made by S. C. 
Coombs & Co., at the Mechanics' Exhibition held in 
September, 1851. The first exhibition of the Mechanics' 



MACHINE TOOLS 121 

Association was held in the City Hall, Tuesday, Sep- 
tember 26, 1848, and the circular announcing it was 
signed by William B. Fox, William A. Wheeler, Ichabod 
Washburn, William N. Bickford, Freeman Upham, 
John Boyden and Samuel Davis. 

A. & S. Thayer began at Court Mills in 1845, where 
they employed ten men in the manufacture of engine 
lathes. These were an improvement upon the lathes then 
in use, and attracted much attention among machinists. 
A. & S. Thayer moved from Court Mills into Allen & 
Thurber's Pistol Shop, which stood just south of Merri- 
field's engine-house, and was burned in 1854. They 
occupied the south-end basement, while Samuel Flagg 
& Co. occupied the north end. They afterwards moved 
into the Dr. Heywood building, in Central Street. While 
there, Sewall Thayer died. Upon his death, A. Thayer 
associated with him H. H. Houghton and E. C. Cleve- 
land. They moved back into the pistol-shop, and re- 
mained in Union Street till the fire, when they removed 
to Washington Street (the location of the Allen Boiler 
Works in 1889) and continued in business until 1857, 
when Mr. Cleveland retired. They continued the busi- 
ness at the Washington Street shop until the breaking 
out of the war, or a little later, and were employing about 
one hundred and fifty men, and making some of the finest 
tools in the country, when the business was bought by 
the New York Steam-Engine Company, and continued 
a short time under that name, when it was moved to 
Passaic, N. J., and finally went out of existence. 

The firm of Samuel Flagg & Co. was organized in 1847. 
Mr. Flagg associated with him Henry Holland and two of 
his former apprentices, L. W. Pond, and Ephraim H. 
Bellows. They started in the second floor of Heywood's 
building, in a room twenty feet by forty. They remained 



122 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

there for a short time, until Allen & Thurber's building 
was ready for tenants, when they moved into the north 
end; they remained there until 1849, when William T. 
Merrifield put up his first brick building; they then moved 
into the same location occupied by the Wheelock Steam- 
Engine Company in 1889. Shortly before the fire they 
took the whole basement, and were burned out in 1854, 
when they went into the lower floor of the Goddard & 
Rice factory in Union Street, where they remained until 
the Merrifield buildings were rebuilt, to which they 
returned, remaining until 1861. Prior to this time Mr. 
Pond had bought out the others in interest. Meantime 
J. B. Lawrence, in 1854, built the east end of the building 
later occupied by the Pond Machine Tool Company. 
In 1861 L. W. Pond purchased this, and built the west 
end, and continued there until 1875, when the business 
was continued by the Pond Machine Tool Company, 
which in 1888 removed to Plainfield, N. J. While in 
Worcester, they maintained a high reputation for the 
quality of their work, excelling particularly in the pro- 
duction of large tools. The Pond Company is now incor- 
porated in the Niles-Bement-Pond Co. 

The brothers, Carter Whitcomb (who had been in the 
employ of Howe & Goddard) and Alonzo Whitcomb 
(who had been in the employ of S. C. Coombs & Co.) 
formed a copartnership under the name of Carter Whit- 
comb & Co., and began the manufacture of copying- 
presses, in 1849, in the Union Street shop of Howe & 
Goddard. They occupied room in Merrifield' s shop prior 
to the fire of 1854, when they were burned out; they re- 
turned soon after the new building was completed, and 
later went to the Estabrook building, and from there 
to the location in Gold Street. This was the first 
successful attempt to establish in this country the busi- 



MACHINE TOOLS 123 

ness of manufacturing copying-presses. George C. Taft 
had previously begun the manufacture, but continued 
only a short time, when it fell into the hands of the Messrs. 
Whitcomb. These presses were sold throughout the 
country, the sales, in some years, amounting to five thou- 
sand presses. From the first this company manu- 
factured iron planers, and later commenced the manu- 
facture of shears and punching-machines. The iron 
planers first made were very light and poorly constructed; 
the gears were cast, the cut-gear was unheard of. This 
company continued to make copying-presses, iron planers 
and shears for cutting iron plate for boilers, but their 
principal business was in planers. Alonzo Whitcomb 
purchased the interest of his brother and the Whitcomb 
Mfg. Co. was in 1905 merged in the Whitcomb-Blaisdell 
Machine Tool Co. 

In 1856 Samuel Flagg organized a Machinist Tool 
Company, composed of Samuel Flagg, Pierson Cowie, 
Dexter Flagg, Lemuel G. Mason and George H. Blanch- 
ard. They continued in business only a short time, but 
made at their shop, in Merrifield's building, the largest 
lathe, with one exception, up to that time made in the 
country. It weighed about thirty-five tons; the length 
of the ways was thirty-five feet and width eight feet. 
They also engaged in the manufacture of machines for 
mortising iron, weighing six tons each, some of which were 
made for the government. 

In the fall of 1864 Joseph A. Sawyer had a little shop 
in the building known as Heywood's Boot Shop, in Main 
Street, for repair work and the manufacture of sewing 
and other machines; subsequently he removed to the 
second floor of the Union Water Meter Shop in Hermon 
Street, where he manufactured shafting, pulleys and 
friction pulleys. In the fall of 1877 he built a shop, at 47 



124 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Hermon St. one story, forty by seventy-two feet, and in 
1881 he built two additional stories to furnish room and 
power to let. He was the inventor of a machine for pleat- 
ing cloth up to eighteen inches in width, which was sold 
to the Elm City Company, of New Haven, and was said 
to be the only practical pleating-machine ever invented. 
Mr. Sawyer invented many devices used in boot and shoe 
factories. After his death, in May, 1888, the business 
was continued by his son, who manufactured Sawyer's 
Combined Hand and Power Planer, and who also did a 
large business in fitting up corset and boot and shoe shops, 
putting up the stitching-machines and keeping them in 
repair. Mr. Sawyer made much automatic machinery 
used in the organ and reed business, and made a specialty 
of difficult machines for special purposes. 

Parritt Blaisdell, who was with Wood, Light & Co. 
for fifteen years, built a shop in Jackson Street in 1865 
and commenced the manufacture of machinists' tools, 
with four or five men. Afterwards he took into com- 
pany John P. Jones, and in 1873 S. E. Hildreth. Mr. 
Blaisdell died in 1874. His widow sold a part of his 
interest to Enoch Earle. This Company was, in 1905, 
merged in the Whitcomb-Blaisdell Machine Tool Co. 
which in 1907 sold the real estate of the old Blaisdell Com- 
pany to the John H. Parker Co. which later went out of 
business and the property was sold to the Quinsigamond 
Pressed Steel Co. 

Whitcomb-Blaisdell Machine Tool Co., 134 Gold Street, 
was incorporated in June, 1905, and brought together the 
Whitcomb Mfg. Co., The Whitcomb Foundry Co. and 
P. Blaisdell & Co. and in October of the same year merged 
the Draper Machine Tool Co. The officers of the new 
Company were Alonzo W. Whitcomb, President; Charles 
E. Hildreth, Vice-President and Treasurer; and Ernest 



MACHINE TOOLS 125 

T. Clary, Secretary. In October, 1915, Mr. Whitcomb 
disposed of his interest and in July, 1916, the following 
officers and directors were elected: Charles E. Hildreth, 
President; J. P. Holman, Leominster, Mass., Vice-Presi- 
dent; E. T. Clary, Treasurer and Clerk. Directors, the 
above officers and F. A. Drury, F. C. Smith, Jr., F. G. 
Schofield, of Worcester, E. F. Pitman, of Boston, Mass. 
This company manufactures lathes and planers and 
employs about one hundred and fifty men in the ma- 
chine shop and one hundred and fifty in the foundry, 
the former composed largely of Swedes, Irish and Ameri- 
cans and the latter of Finns, Poles and Lithuanians. 

W. F. Bancroft & Co., established in 1870 by Kent 
& Bancroft, made self-operating spinning machinery, 
lathes, planers and special machinery. Later this business 
was sold to John Wehinger and was afterwards combined 
with that of N. A. Lombard & Co., now discontinued. 

William H. Eddy, manufacturer of machinists' tools, 
established 1873, manufactured planers, twist-drills, 
grinding-machines, stone, bolt and gear cutters; the twist 
drill-grinders were his own invention; he also devised a 
clutch friction pulley that prevents noise in the changing 
of belts. Mr. Eddy was contractor for L. W. Pond for 
twenty-one years. 

In 1872, Vernon F. Prentice, who had been for some 
time connected with the firm of Wood, Light & Co., with 
his brother, Albert F. Prentice, began the manufacture 
of lathes and drills under the name of A. F. Prentice & 
Company. The firm suffered some financial reverses in 
the panic of 1873, and it was found that because of 
the general depressed condition of business throughout 
the country, following that panic, there was not enough 
business for the firm to require the time of both brothers, 
and in consequence Vernon F. Prentice withdrew. 



126 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

In 1875, F. E. Reed, who, from the beginning had been 
in charge of the office work of the firm, purchased a one- 
half interest. In 1877, he purchased the remaining half 
from Albert F. Prentice and the firm became F. E. Reed 
& Company. 

Albert F. Prentice, with his brother Vernon F. Prentice, 
then started the firm of Prentice Brothers. These two 
concerns, the Prentice Brothers and F. E. Reed & Com- 
pany continued doing business in Worcester, the F. E. 
Reed & Company being incorporated as the F. E. Reed 
Company under the laws of Massachusetts in 1894, and 
Prentice Brothers as Prentice Brothers Company in 1898. 
The business of both firms grew slowly at first, but be- 
ginning about 1890 a large foreign business materially 
aided both concerns. The F. E. Reed Company devoted 
its entire attention to the manufacture of lathes and the 
Reed lathe became known the world over as the Standard 
lathe. The Prentice Brothers Company, for a long time, 
confined themselves chiefly to the manufacture of drills. 
About 1905 they brought out their geared head lathe, 
which met with immediate success. 

The firm of F. E. Reed & Company was originally 
located in French's building on Hermon Street. In 
1883, the firm built a large building on Gold Street. 
The plant was enlarged in 1888, 1889 and 1890. The 
firm of Prentice Brothers was originally located in the 
Estabrook building on the corner of Hermon and Beacon 
Streets. In 1889, the business was moved to the new 
Crompton Associates building on Cambridge Street, the 
Prentice Brothers occupying this building jointly with 
the Powell Planer Company. In 1895, the Crompton 
Associates built for the Prentice Brothers the present 
West (steel) shop. In 1899, the Crompton Associates 
built another shop at the east of the original shop, and 



MACHINE TOOLS 127 

in the same year, the Powell Planer Company having 
moved out, the Prentice Brothers Company took the 
space formerly occupied by this concern. In 1908, the 
Prentice Brothers Company took space formerly occupied 
by the Crompton-Thayer Loom Company in the Cromp- 
ton Associates buildings, near them, on Cambridge Street, 
and when the R. L. Morgan Company ceased doing 
business, they took a great part of the space formerly 
occupied by that concern. 

In April 1912, there was effected a consolidation of the 
F. E. Reed Company and Prentice Brothers Company, 
whose early history was so closely interwoven. A new 
corporation, the Reed-Prentice Company, with $1,250,000 
of Preferred stock and $1,250,000 Common stock was 
formed, which took over both the above companies and 
also the Reed Foundry Company and the Reed & Curtis 
Machine Screw Company. The shops of the Crompton 
Associates on Cambridge Street, occupied chiefly by the 
Prentice Brothers Company, were purchased by the new 
company. In October, 1912, the Reed & Curtis Machine 
Screw Department was sold to J. Vernon Critchley, who 
organized the Critchley Machine Screw Company, which 
was succeeded by the R. B. Phillips Mfg. Co. 

In 1914, the Common stock of the Reed-Prentice com- 
pany was reduced from $1,250,000 to $750,000, making 
the total capitalization of the company $2,000,000. 
During the years 1913 and 1914, a new automatic lathe 
was developed, and later a milling machine and profiling 
machine were placed on the market. The present Euro- 
pean war has created a great demand for the products of 
this company, as well as for those of all others engaged 
in this industry. 

In August, 1914, Mr. Fuller resigned as president and 
at the Annual Meeting in February, 1915, Lucius J. 



128 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Knowles was elected President. The officers of the Com- 
pany then were: President, Lucius J. Knowles; Vice- 
Presidents, George F. Fuller, Albert E. Newton; Treas- 
urer, George Crompton; Assistant Treasurer, Henry H. 
Knapp; Clerk, George Crompton. 

The Reed-Prentice Company at present employ about 
eleven hundred men and occupy a floor space of 296,554 
square feet. This Company was purchased in November, 
1915, by new interests and the following officers were 
elected: Robert F. Herrick, President; Jeremiah J. 
Mackin, Treasurer. The following officers were con- 
tinued: Albert E. Newton, Vice-President; Henry H. 
Knapp, Assistant Treasurer. The Directors were Robert 
F. Herrick, Albert E. Newton, Henry P. Kendall, Robert 
C. Morse, George C. Lee, Frank A. Drury, and Homer 
Gage. On January 1, 1916, Joseph W. Lund took the 
office of Treasurer in place of Mr. Mackin, and L. W. 
Ware succeeded to the office of Assistant Treasurer in 
place of Mr. Knapp. There were no further changes 
until Dr. Homer Gage resigned from the directorate, and 
was succeeded by Malcolm F. Donald; Robert C. Morse 
was elected a Vice-President. 

Under the names of Boynton & Plummer, 50 Lagrange 
Street, James Kindred, H. S. Brown and Henry Kindred, 
beginning in 1878, manufactured blacksmith drills, bolt- 
cutting machines and shaping-machines, and were pion- 
eers in this class of work in the city. Their trade extended 
throughout the country and to Australia and South 
America. At the death of Mr. Kindred the business was 
sold and subsequently discontinued. 

In February, 1878, E. H. Wood began to manufacture 
for Harwood & Quincy, of Boston, the Bramwell Feeder, 
which was used for feeding the wool into carding-machines. 
This feeder revolutionized the work of supplying carding- 



MACHINE TOOLS 129 

machines, and was a great factor in the development of 
the wool-carding business. In 1881 their shop, near the 
Junction, was completed and the Harwood & Quincy 
Machine Company was formed. The Bramwell Feeder 
was invented by W. C. Bramwell, of Terre Haute, Ind.; 
the patent was owned by Harwood & Quincy, who had 
the exclusive manufacture of the machine. Edwin H. 
Wood, the superintendent of the company, was seventeen 
years the foreman in the shop of Daniel Tainter, formerly 
a well-known manufacturer of woolen machinery. 

In 1879, W. C. Young began with one assistant in 
Mawhinney's building, No. 19 Church Street, the manu- 
facture of shoe tools and edge planes; at one time he em- 
ployed twenty hands in the manufacture of engine-lathes, 
wood-turning and amateur lathes, which he designed 
himself, exporting a large number. 

J. A. Fuller, at No. 3 Cypress Street, made machinists' 
tools, lathes, planers and speed-lathes, employing seven 
men; he also manufactured bench-gears and small dyna- 
mos. The business is now discontinued. 

Currier & Snyder began in 1883 in Central Street, later 
at 17 Hermon Street, where they manufactured upright 
drills. At first they employed but one hand, and later 
fifteen. The ease and rapidity with which their drills 
could be manipulated won for them a high reputation. 
Both the partners were for many years employed in the 
Blaisdell shop. The company is now known as J. E. 
Snyder & Son, 119 Dewey Street. 

The Powell Planer Company, Edward M. Woodward, 
Albert M. Powell, was incorporated in 1887 for the manu- 
facture of iron planers, shapers and other machinists' 
tools. It was re-organized in 1899; the capital was in- 
creased and the name of the corporation was changed to 
Woodward & Powell Planer Company, which is located at 



130 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

99 Webster Street. Starting with thirty-five men, the 
company now gives employment to about one hundred 
skilled machinists. Since the organization in 1887 to the 
present time, the corporation has made a specialty of 
■manufacturing metal planing machines making a larger 
variety of sizes and types than any other concern in the 
United States. 

The company controls several patents of importance 
on metal planing machines and has a large trade with 
railroads and locomotive shops and a foreign trade which 
extends to Europe and the Orient. The same individuals 
who organized the Company in 1887, manage and control 
the corporation of today. 

The tools made previous to 1845 were very much 
lighter than those made today. The beds of the engine 
lathes were of wood, with strips of iron bolted to them 
for the ways, and the carriage that held the cutting tool 
was operated by a chain. Gradually this was superseded 
by a rack and gears driven by a rod in front of the lathe. 
Tools have been very much increased in weight and the 
workmanship is much improved. There has been as 
great a change in the character of our shops as in their 
products. Then, a man was expected to begin work as 
soon as he could see, and to continue until nine o'clock 
at night, with half an hour for breakfast, an hour for 
dinner and half an hour for supper. Whale-oil lamps 
were used; these smoked badly and made the atmos- 
phere almost unendurable. Pay came but once in six 
months, and then often in the form of a note, — a strong 
contrast with the short hours of the present day, 
steam heat, gas or the electric light and weekly wages 
in cash. 

It is said that it took the observation of the farmers and 
the inventive genius of the mechanics of the country 



AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS 131 

from 1797 to 1842, to decide upon the best form of a plow. 
It was a subject that seemed to afford endless opportunity 
for argument and controversy. Thomas Jefferson was 
much interested in the subject, and in a letter written to 
Jonathan Williams, in July, 1796, says that he has dis- 
covered "the form of a mould-board of least resistance, " 
that he has reduced it to practice, and that his theory is 
fully confirmed. He gave this subject careful study, as 
appears from his correspondence. 

The first iron plow in Worcester County was made by 
William A. Wheeler, in Hardwick, in 1822, but plows 
of some sort were made in Worcester in 1821 and prior 
to that time by Oliver Wetherbee, who carried on the 
business in the blacksmith's shop of Levi Howe, and later 
at his own shop, a few rods from Captain Thomas' inn. 
In November, 1823, Mr. Wheeler announces that he will 
keep on hand all kinds of plows at his shop in Thomas 
Street. 

In November, 1824, the committee, in reporting upon 
the articles exhibited at the Cattle Show, then lately 
held, refer to two cast-iron plows exhibited by Oliver 
Wetherbee, and state that they are fast superseding those 
of the old construction. 

Burt & Merrick, in June, 1828, appear as agents of the 
Hitchcock plow, claimed to be superior to those previously 
used, and in 1829 Benjamin Butman & Co. had for sale 
"Nourse's Cast-Iron Plows." These plows were manu- 
factured by J. & J. Nourse, at Shrewsbury, and were 
known as the Hartford Cast-Iron Plows. 

In April, 1833, C. Howard's cast-iron plows are offered 
for sale by G. T. Rice & Co., and, at the same time, Mr. 
Wheeler announces that he has "just received an assort- 
ment of plow-points from the various patterns hereto- 
fore cast at Brookfield." Meantime, Joel Nourse 



132 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

appears to have moved from Shrewsbury to Worcester, 
and to have taken a shop in Thomas Street, for in August, 
1833, he there offers for sale plows of the most approved 
construction and of five different sizes. He also offers 
for sale in March, 1834, his " side-hill plows." Mr. 
Nourse seems to have been a successful manufacturer of 
plows, for in its report, the committee at the Cattle Show, 
in 1835, compliments him highly, and says that all the 
plows on the field except three were of his make. 

J. Nourse & Co., March, 1836, added the manufacture 
of cultivators to their business, and in March, 1838, 
Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, a firm composed of Draper 
Ruggles, Joel Nourse and J. C. Mason, announce that 
they have made arrangements for manufacturing on an 
extensive scale the most improved form of cast-iron plows, 
and that they have secured Jethro Wood's patent on the 
same, and add, — "Most of the cast-iron plows are made 
too short, and are too concave for the mould-board to 
run easily. " Ruggles, Nourse & Mason made plows for 
turning over green sward, turning over stubble; and also 
made three sizes of the celebrated side-hill plows; also, 
improved seed-sowers, improved expanded cultivators, 
and Coats' patent revolving hay-rake. The first plow 
made by Nourse and others was a clumsy affair; the 
mould-board and standard were of iron, the rest of wood. 
Ruggles, Nourse & Mason were in Thomas Street at 
first, about opposite the present location of the City Water- 
works Shop; afterwards Samuel Davis induced them 
to move to Court Mills, where increased facilities enabled 
them to largely extend their business. 

The next new implement made by Ruggles, Nourse & 
Mason was the Wilkes revolving horse-rake. They were 
constant exhibitors at the Cattle Shows, and in 1851 
showed over twenty different kinds of plows. This indus- 



AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY 133 

try was a most important one. Worcester, at that time, 
is said to have been more largely engaged in the manu- 
facture of agricultural implements than any other city 
or town in the United States, and the business had been 
entirely developed within a comparatively few years; 
for there were those living who remembered the stub hoes 
and wooden plows, while the sensation of first seeing the 
cast-iron plow was fresh in the recollection of many farmers 
in the county. Ruggles, Nourse & Mason at this time, 
1851, occupied the Court Mills, the main building being 
of brick, two hundred and fifty feet long, seventy-five 
feet wide and four stories high, and employed about two 
hundred hands. The motive-power was partly steam 
and partly water, supplied by Mill Brook. The same 
turbine wheel was used for power in E. W. Vaill's chair 
factory as late as 1889. 

The white oak timber used was furnished by Oakham, 
Paxton, Sterling and other towns. The iron castings 
were made in an adjoining building, and three tons of 
iron were used daily. The product was sold in Boston, 
where the salesroom occupied the second story in Quincy 
Market, and where were displayed upwards of three 
hundred different patterns of plows alone, to say nothing 
of other agricultural implements and dairy equipment. 

Among the recipients of medals at the Crystal Palace 
Exhibition in New York, in 1854, was the Worcester 
Shovel Company, for Kimb all's patent shovels with 
malleable iron sockets; and Ruggles, Nourse & Mason 
for Armsby's patent corn shovel, for Perry's patent meat- 
cutter and a vegetable-cutter; also, for double sod and sub- 
soil plow. In 1855 they offer mowing-machines for sale. 

April 1, 1856, Ruggles, Nourse & Mason were succeeded 
by Nourse, Mason & Company, consisting of Joel Nourse, 
Peter Harvey and Samuel Davis. After a time Nourse, 



134 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Mason & Company sold out to Mr. Nourse, who organ- 
ized a company consisting of Joel Nourse, Peter Harvey 
and Sampson & Tappan, of Boston, doing business under 
the name of Nourse, Mason & Company. Meantime, 
they had started a shop at Groton Junction, where they 
were increasing their capacity as well as employing all 
the labor that could be accommodated at the Worcester 
factory. In 1859 they were employing two hundred and 
fifty hands; their pay-roll amounted to eight thousand 
or nine thousand dollars per month, and they had in- 
creased their power by putting in a sixty horse-power 
engine. 

In 1860 the works were purchased by Oliver Ames & 
Sons, and, in 1874, moved to the large brick factory in 
Prescott Street, where they were in operation in 1889 
under the name of the "Ames Plow Co." They manu- 
factured all kinds of agricultural implements, power- 
machines, meat-cutters, etc. In 1887 they made seven 
thousand wheelbarrows. They made at one time seven 
thousand plows yearly and employed one hundred and 
seventy men. This company moved to South Framing- 
ham January 1, 1912, where it had built a new plant. 

In 1857, J. T. Adriance & Co., manufactured Manny's 
improved mowing-machine, and during that year made 
about six hundred of them. Alzirus Brown, in 1858, also 
manufactured these machines and Manny's reaper, 
employing from forty to fifty hands. 

In September, 1859, J. M. C. Armsby, who had pre- 
viously been a partner in Nourse, Mason & Co., completed 
his building in Central Street, for the manufacture of 
plows, cultivators, harrows, horse-rakes, hoes, etc. It 
was one hundred feet long, thirty-five feet wide and four 
stories high, with two wings extending back — one, seventy- 
four and the other fifty feet. An engine of twenty-five 



AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY 135 

horse-power, made by the Putnam Machine Company, 
was the only piece of machinery in the building not of 
Worcester manufacture. 

A patent was granted, December, 1861, to L. G. 
Kniffen, of Worcester, on his Union Mower. He formed 
a company for its manufacture, to be known as the Union 
Mowing-Machine Company, Alzirus Brown, agent. 

About 1861 A. P. Richardson and A. P. Barnard organ- 
ized the Buckeye Mowing Machine Company to manu- 
facture the Ohio Buckeye Machine. They were licensed 
to manufacture for Xew England only. Richardson and 
Barnard separated after one or two years, the latter going 
to West Fitchburg. Barnard made machines for Massa- 
chusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, while Richard- 
son made machines for Maine, Xew Hampshire and 
Vermont. Richardson then began making the machines 
under his own name. In 1865, Whitman and Miles, both 
from Fitchburg, bought out Richardson. The com- 
pany was incorporated in 1870, keeping Richardson's 
name. The Presidents have been A. P. Richardson, 
Jared W nitman, and E. P. Curtis (who entered the busi- 
ness in 1864). 

The Richardson Mfg. Company took over Alzirus 
Brown's business about 1870 and then made, besides 
the Buckeye, the Lnion Mower, which had been manu- 
factured by Brown, the Bullard Hay Tedder and the 
^\ nitcomb Horse Rake. The Lnion Mower was soon 
abandoned. The company was first located on Central 
Street, in an old brick building owned by Otis Warren. 
Richardson & Barnard started here. In 1866, they 
bought a building across the street belonging to John 
Heywood. The Company moved to Prescott Street in 
1868-70, occupying the present factory which was leased 
from the late Stephen Salisbury. Sr., and enlarged from 



136 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

time to time. The market is exclusively in New England. 
The company employs about one hundred and fifty 
operatives. 

The water privileges at New Worcester, occupied by the 
two factories of the Coes Wrench Company, are, his- 
torically, of considerable interest. 

Captain Daniel Gookin, who was one of the commission- 
ers appointed by the General Court, October 11, 1665, 
to survey the country in the vicinity of Lake Quinsiga- 
mond, to determine if there be a "meet place for a plan- 
tation, that it may be improved for that end, and not 
spoiled by granting of farms," was the original owner of 
this property, and from him the late Loring Coes' great- 
grandfather had a deed of this water-power and built a 
saw-mill at the upper dam, where previously there was 
a beaver dam. 

On the site of the Leicester Street mill, wool and carding 
machinery was built from an early day. This privilege 
came into the hands of Moses Clements, and from him 
passed to William Stowell, who also made woolen ma- 
chinery, carding machinery and jacks. From Stowell 
the privilege passed to Thomas Harbach, at one time 
associated with Joseph Converse, then to Edward and 
Martin Wilder, from whom it was purchased by L. & 
A. G. Coes, in 1848. At the southwest end of the Leices- 
ter Street Works was the old Clements building, of wood, 
two stories high and fifty or sixty feet long. It was later 
taken down by the Coes'. The building at the northeast 
end was erected by William Stowell, about 1835, and 
was at one time occupied by Kimball & Fuller, in the 
manufacture of woolen machinery. Loring and A. G. 
Coes were both born in New Worcester. Loring Coes, 
born in 1812 was, at the age of fourteen, apprenticed to 
Anson Braman a carpenter in Worcester. After a service 



WRENCHES 137 

of three years he entered the employment of Solomon 
Putnam, a carpenter in Leicester, where he remained 
until he was twenty- two. After working a short time with 
Kimball & Fuller he made a contract with Henry Gould- 
ing to do all the wood work on the woolen machinery 
made by him. Aury G. Coes was born in 1817 and also 
worked for Kimball & Fuller. In 1836 the brothers 
formed a copartnership and purchased the Kimball & 
Fuller business, which, meantime, in November, 1835, 
had been moved from New Worcester to Court Mills. 
Here they continued until October, 1839, when the Court 
Mills were destroyed by fire. This loss so far impaired 
their capital as to prevent their starting again. Their 
fellow-tenants also burned out were, Samuel Davis, 
builder of woolen machinery; Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, 
manufacturers of plows and agricultural implements; 
H. W. Miller, punching-machines for manufacturing nuts, 
washers, etc., and Thomas E. Daniels, builder of planing- 
machines. 

After the fire the brothers went to Springfield, Mass., 
and engaged as pattern-makers in the foundry of Laurin 
Trask; 1 while there employed they made a model of a new 
and improved form of the wrench, a tool which they 
constantly used. There were at that time two styles — 
one of English invention, and the other known as the 
Merrick or Springfield wrench. The mechanism of both 
these wrenches was such that both hands were used to 
open or close them. This was often inconvenient, as it 
was important to so adjust the wrench to different open- 
ings, by the hand in which it was held, as to leave the 
other hand free for other demands of the work. It oc- 
curred to the Coes Brothers to dispense with the screw 
on the shaft, as in the Merrick wrench, and affix by the 

1 Van Slyck, "New England Manufacturers and Manufactories.*' 



138 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

side of the shaft, a small bar in the form of a screw, which 
should enter another screw formed in the lower or mov- 
able jaw of the wrench; and that the first screw should 
also have, at its lower end, where it should enter the han- 
dle, a rosette always in reach of the thumb of the hand 
that held the wrench. This rosette, being pressed and 
turned by the thumb would operate the screw, and the 
opening and closing of the wrench would easily be effected 
by one hand. It seemed to them that this adjustment 
would make the tool much stronger by removing the 
indentations from the bar or shaft, and that there would 
be less liability of injury to the wrench from severe or 
improper use. 

In November, 1840, they returned to Worcester, and 
at once directed their efforts to securing a patent for their 
invention. The patterns of their spinning machinery 
had been saved from the fire, and these they sold to 
Samuel Davis, a manufacturer of woolen machinery, and 
so obtained the means for securing a patent, which was 
granted to Loring Coes, April 16, 1841. The brothers 
now formed a copartnership under the name of L. & A. G. 
Coes, for the manufacture of wrenches under this patent. 
They were without capital, and Henry W. Miller, a hard- 
ware dealer in Worcester, aided them by fitting up a shop 
(in the northwest end of Court Mill, in Mr. Miller's shop), 
with the requisite machinery and tools, of which he re- 
tained the ownership, taking and selling all the wrenches 
manufactured by the Messrs. Coes. The business was 
so far successful that early in 1843 they were able to pur- 
chase the machinery and tools. They were now employ- 
ing three hands, and made a contract with C. Foster & 
Co. to sell their goods. The next winter (1843-44) they 
moved to the shop of Albert Curtis, in New Worcester. 
They leased a basement in one of Mr. Curtis' buildings 



SHEAR BLADES 139 

and he built them a blacksmith shop, and put in a trip- 
hammer for their use. 

At the close of their contract with C. Foster & Co., 
April 1, 1848, they entered into a contract for five years 
with Ruggles, Nourse & Mason. At this time, also, they 
bought for fifty-five hundred dollars the old woolen-mill 
in which they had both worked in their youth — the 
water privilege, two houses and about four acres of land. 
They were now employing from twelve to fifteen men, 
and making from five to six hundred wrenches a month. 
They repaired and raised the mill and put in a new water- 
wheel and new machinery. 

" Their contract with Ruggles, Nourse & Mason expired, 
by limitation, April 1, 1853, and they thenceforward sold 
their own goods. They had, during the twelve years since 
their first patent was granted, devised, individually or 
jointly, various improvements in the wrenches and in the 
special machinery used in their manufacture. 

"On July 21, 1853, with Levi Hardy, they purchased 
from Moses Clement his shop, machinery and business 
— that of the manufacture of shear-blades and knives 
for hay-cutting machines. The copartnership continued 
until May 2, 1864. After the dissolution of their co- 
partnership, having purchased Mr. Hardy's interest in it, 
they continued the business, with Charles A. Hardy as 
the superintendent of the shop, keeping its accounts 
distinct from those of the wrench business. 

"In 1865 they built a dam half a mile above their water 
privilege, to form a reservoir, and the next year they built 
a shop at the reservoir, one hundred feet by forty, two 
stories high, with a basement, devoting it exclusively 
to the manufacture of shear-blades, hay-cutter knives 
and similar articles. In 1867 they built a new dam one 
hundred rods below the reservoir. 



140 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

"On April 1, 1869, they dissolved their copartnership 
and divided the business — Loring Coes taking the upper 
privilege, including the shear-blade business, and A. G. 
Coes taking the lower privilege, and paying a bonus for 
the right of choice. At this time they sold monthly from 
six to nine thousand wrenches. 1 

L. Coes & Company erected the large brick factory at 
the lower dam, one hundred feet long, fifty feet wide and 
four stories high, with basement and attic. The building, 
with the machinery to be used in it, was finished early 
in 1871. 

The Coes Wrench Company is a consolidation of the 
two companies, which was effected April 1, 1888, with 
Loring Coes, president; John H. Coes, treasurer, and 
Frederick L. Coes, secretary — the two latter, sons of A. G 
Coes. They manufactured wrenches under patents of 
Loring Coes, dated July 6, 1880, and July 8, 1884. In 
1889 they produced fifteen hundred wrenches per day 
and employed one hundred hands. 

At the outlet of the upper pond Loring Coes carried on 
quite an extensive business in the manufacture of die 
stock for cutting sole-leather and other purposes. He also 
made shear-blades, knives for meat, cheese-cutters and 
lawn-mower knives. He had a trip-hammer in this shop, 
and the old rolling-mill, used for making plane irons, by 
William Hovey, on the mill dam in Boston many years 
ago. A little before the ninetieth anniversary of his birth, 
Loring Coes bought the interests of his other partners 
and consolidated his manufacturing enterprises. Mr. 
Coes died in 1907. The machine knives are now made 
under the name of Loring Coes & Co. and the wrenches 
under the name of Coes Wrench Co. 

L. Hardy & Co., at New Worcester, conducted by 
Henry A. Hoyt, manufactured shear-blades, die stock for 

Van Slyck, "New England Manufacturers and Manufactories." 



WRENCHES 141 

cutters, etc., and John Jacques, at New Worcester, manu- 
factured patent shears for book-makers, binders, printers 
and paper-box makers; also shears for tin-plate workers. 

Other manufacturers of wrenches, in a small way, have 
engaged in the business from time to time. In April, 
1852, E. F. Dixie advertises to manufacture "Hewet's 
celebrated screw-wrench." George C. Taft and John 
Gleason manufactured wrenches, in connection with 
copying-presses, at Northville, in 1853. B. F. Joslyn, 
who seems to have been a most ingenious mechanic, and 
who made several inventions in fire-arms, made several 
improvements in wrenches, and on one of these, at least, 
procured a patent. 

Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, who were at one time selling 
agents for the Coes', manufactured wrenches in 1859, 
in connection with the business in agricultural implements. 



142 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

CHAPTER V 

Wire — Wire-Workers — Wire Producing Machinery — Copperas. 

In the latter half of the eighteenth century the desir- 
ability of commencing the manufacture of wire in this 
country was very generally recognized. But little 
progress was made for some years, and most, if not all, 
of the card-wire was imported from England. In fact, 
at this time there was very little wire made in the world. 
From a well-authenticated source the assertion is made 
that in 1810 the entire output of wire in England would 
not exceed one four-horse load weekly. From the report 
of Albert Gallatin, then Secretary of the Treasury, made 
in 1810, it appears that the demand for cards was twice 
as much in 1809 as in 1808, and was increasing. 

The wire is imported, and serious inconvenience would attend the 
stoppage of the supply, although the manufacture might, and would be 
immediately established to supply all demands, if the same duty were 
laid on wire, now free, as on other articles of the same material. 

In the early days the hardware dealers of Worcester 
imported their wire from England or Germany. Wire 
was drawn in Walpole, soon after the Revolution, by 
Eleazar Smith, and card-wire was drawn by hand in 
Leicester as early as 1809. In 1813 mention is made 
of a wire factory, run by Joseph White, in West Boylston; 
in April, 1814, of its manufacture in Phillipston, and in 
the same year a wire factory is advertised for sale at 
Barre, on the Ware River. Prior to 1815 a building on 
the old site of the Coes Wrench Factory, on Leicester 
Street, New Worcester, was occupied as a wire factory. 
Wire was drawn in Spencer between 1815 and 1820. Its 
manufacture in Worcester was begun in 1831 by Ichabod 



ICHABOD WASHBURN 143 

Washburn and Benjamin Goddard, in a wooden factory 
at Northville. This was on the second privilege south of 
North Pond dam, and was built by Frederick W. Paine. 
The factory now standing on this site is the third one built 
there, the two preceding having been burned. 

Ichabod Washburn first engaged in business in Wor- 
cester in 1820, with William H. Howard, in the manu- 
facture of woolen machinery and lead pipe. Mr. Howard 
purchased his half of the business, which he continued. 
The demand for woolen machinery increasing, Mr. Wash- 
burn, in 1822, took as partner Benjamin Goddard, the 
firm being Washburn & Goddard, and they soon em- 
ployed thirty men. They made the first condenser and 
long-roll spinning-jack ever made in Worcester County, 
and among the first in the country. Any one passing in 
Main Street, by the head of School Street, in the year 1822, 
might have seen projecting from one of the large sycamore 
trees standing there, the following sign: — Wool Carding 
and Lead Aqueduct Manufactory, with a hand point- 
ing down the street to Washburn & Goddard's shop, on 
the site later occupied by N. A. Lombard's building, and 
near the site of the factory for the manufacture of cordu- 
roys and fustians, occupied in 1789 by Samuel Brazer. 

During the winter of 1830-31 Mr. Washburn, in a 
small wooden building, back of the brick part of N. A. 
Lombard's factory, in School Street, experimented in the 
manufacture of wood-screws. Some time during the 
year 1831, Mr. Washburn, Mr. Goddard and General 
Heard visited North Providence, where three brothers — 
Clement O., Curtis and Henry Read — were making wood- 
screws under a patent which they owned. An arrange- 
ment was made with the Reads, and they moved the 
screw machinery to the Northville Factory at Worcester. 
It was brought from Providence on a canal-boat, the 
journey occupying three days. 



144 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Meantime, in August, 1831, Washburn & Goddard sold 
their business in School Street, and moved to Northville, 
where the manufacture of wire and wood-screws was 
begun, the wire being manufactured by Washburn & 
Goddard, the screws under the name of C. Read & Co., 
with whom Mr. Washburn had an interest. Washburn 
& Goddard at the same time manufactured card- wire. 
Some time between April, 1836, and March, 1837, the 
screw business was removed to Providence, where it 
continued for a time under the name of C. Read & Co., 
but ultimately became the nucleus of the Eagle, now 
the American Screw Company, which has since ac- 
quired a world-wide reputation. 

Mr. Washburn states, in his autobiography, that the 
first wire-machine he ever saw was one of self-acting 
pincers, drawing the wire through the die about a foot, 
then passing back and drawing another foot. With this 
crude machine a man could draw about fifty pounds of 
wire per day. For this Mr. Washburn substituted the 
wire-block, which is in use at the present time. The 
process of wire-drawing consists in taking a coarse wire 
rod and drawing it through a hole of less diameter than 
the rod, in an iron or steel plate, and repeating the opera- 
tion until the rod is reduced to wire of the required size. 
The reduction is effected by stretching the wire, and not 
by removing the metal. In 1889 a piece of steel four 
inches square and three feet long was rolled into a two 
hundred pound coil of No. 6 rods, measuring about two 
thousand and forty-six feet. This rod, by the process 
of drawing from No. 6 to No. 12, was increased in length 
to 6,848 feet. The diameter of the No. 12 wire was 
.105, while the billet from which it was made had a 
sectional area of sixteen square inches. 



WIRE 145 

Mr. Washburn, at this time, happened to be in New 
York, when Phelps, Dodge & Co., with whom he had 
business, said to him that they were starting a wire-mill, 
and expected to make all the wire that would be wanted 
in the country, and predicted failure for his mill in 
Worcester. 

January 30, 1835, the partnership was dissolved, Mr. 
Goddard retaining the factory at Northville for the 
manufacture of woolen machinery, while Mr. Washburn 
continued the wire business in a factory built for him, by 
the late Stephen Salisbury, on Mill Brook, which was 
dammed for the purpose of providing water-power, thus 
forming what is now known as Salisbury's Pond. The 
earth removed to make a basin for the pond forms the 
high ground now found upon the south side and included 
within the boundaries of Institute Park. The building 
erected by Mr. Salisbury was eighty feet long and forty 
feet in width, three stories high in the center, with a 
sloping roof, two chimneys and surmounted by a cupola 
containing a bell. In 1835 Charles Washburn, who was 
graduated from Brown University in the class of 1820, 
came from Harrison, Me., where he was practicing law, 
and formed a copartnership with his brother Ichabod, 
which continued until January 13, 1838. Meantime 
Benjamin Goddard discontinued the manufacture of 
woolen machinery, and the Northville mill came into 
Mr. Washburn's possession. He then made a contract 
with Mr. Goddard to draw wire for him, and wire ma- 
chinery was again set up in the Northville factory. 
About the year 1840 Mr. Washburn bought the water 
power and property occupied in 1889 by the Worcester 
Wire Company at South Worcester, now the central 
works of the American Steel & Wire Co. Mr. Goddard 
took charge of the mill, and retained that position until 



146 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

his death, in 1867. All three of his sons worked there — 
Delano, who afterwards became the accomplished editor 
of the Boston Advertiser; Henry, who later was at the head 
of an important department at the works of the Wash- 
burn & Moen Manufacturing Company; and Dorrance, 
who for many years was superintendent of the South 
Works of the corporation. The South Worcester Mill 
was a one-story building, about fifty feet long and thirty 
feet wide. Card-wire was here drawn to No. 19 size, 
and brought to Grove Street to be finished. Coarser 
wire, for machinery and telegraph purposes, was also 
drawn at South Worcester. 

At the Worcester County Cattle Show, held in October, 
1838, Ichabod Washburn exhibited very excellent wire, 
Nos. 30, 31, 32 and 33, and also iron wire cards. 

In 1842 Charles Washburn again became a partner 
in the business. February 13, 1845, the old wire-mill 
in Northville, then used as a cotton-factory and occupied 
by William Crompton, was totally destroyed by fire. 

In February, 1847, Prouty & Earle had a wire-factory 
at Washington Square; subsequently it was purchased 
by I. & C. Washburn. 

At this time the demand for telegraph-wire commenced. 
From 1847 until 1859 it was mainly of No. 9 size, Stubs' 
gauge. It was not galvanized at first, but was sometimes 
painted or boiled in oil, for the purpose of retarding the 
inevitable process of oxidation. A more complete pre- 
servative was later found in zinc, applied by the process 
known as galvanzing. At first this was somewhat crude, 
and consisted in dipping the coils of wire in molten zinc, 
after which the surplus metal was shaken off by violent 
pounding. 

From 1837 until 1847 Ichabod Washburn purchased in 
Sweden his wire-rod billets, which were bars of iron about 



WIRE 147 

twelve feet long, one and one-eighth inch square in sec- 
tion. These were rolled into wire rods at Fall River, 
Troy and Windsor Locks, Conn. The inconvenience of 
having the rolling done at a distance led Ichabod and 
Charles Washburn, in 1847, to look about for a location 
for a rolling-mill. 

Attracted by the water-power at Quinsigamond, a 
small part of which was then used by the lower paper- 
mill remaining at that place, they purchased the whole 
property of the Lincoln family, thus acquiring what they 
deemed reliable power, and, at the same time, plenty of 
room for the location of all the buildings necessary for 
their purposes. Under their patronage a new firm was 
organized to carry on the rod-rolling and wire business, 
under the title of Washburn, Moen & Co., a firm composed 
of Henry S. Washburn, Charles Washburn and Philip 
L. Moen. This company was dissolved January 12, 
1849, the business being continued by Henry S. Wash- 
burn. 

January 1, 1849, the copartnership theretofore existing 
between I. & C. Washburn was dissolved, the manufacture 
of wire in its various branches being continued at the 
Grove Street mill by Ichabod Washburn. A division 
of the property was had, Charles Washburn taking 
Quinsigamond. February 9, 1849, he offered to rent for 
a term of years "the building with water-power sufficient 
for driving machinery for a sash and blind factory, or any 
other business not requiring a very great water-power." 
At the same time he offers for sale the entire machinery 
for the manufacture of paper in the said building. This 
was the lower of the two paper-mills, which for many 
years had been run at this point by the Burbanks, and 
was located in what was known as the scrap-yard of the 
Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company, now the 



148 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

American Steel & Wire Co., about forty feet south of a 
well, which was in use for a long time and afforded water 
for the operatives in the paper-mill. The end of the mill 
was parallel with the railroad, and was only separated 
from it by the width of the old race-way, and stood at a 
point about four hundred and sixty feet southeast of the 
traveled highway, as it crossed the railroad. 

April 1, 1850, Philip L. Moen became a partner with 
Ichabod Washburn, his father-in-law, and was actively 
engaged in the business from that time. 

In July, 1851, a Mr. Adams had a wire-factory oppo- 
site the Norwich depot, but no further notice of it is to 
be found. 

January 2, 1853, Henry S. Washburn formed a copart- 
nership with Charles F. Washburn, and they continued 
at Quinsigamond rolling rods and manufacturing iron 
and wire under the firm-name of Henry S. Washburn 
& Co. Meantime, Ichabod Washburn had made con- 
siderable progress in the manufacture of wire, particu- 
larly of card-wire, introducing new and improved pro- 
cesses. This was made of Swedish bars one and one-quar- 
ter inches square, which were rolled at Quinsigamond 
into wire rods of a little less than one-quarter of an inch 
in diameter; they were then carried to the wire factories 
at South Worcester and Grove Street, and drawn to the 
necessary sizes. The capacity of this rolling mill was 
about six long tons per day of ten hours. 

Early in his experience as a wire-drawer Mr. Wash- 
burn adopted an improved process for annealing, — that 
is, restoring the wire, as it became hard and brittle, 
by repeated drawing, to its original soft and pliable con- 
dition, by heating in cast-iron pots and cooling slowly — 
this improvement consisted in placing the small coils in 
double air-tight iron pots. 



WIRE 149 

In 1850, at the suggestion of Mr. Chickering, of Boston, 
Mr. Washburn devoted his attention to the production 
of steel wire for piano-fortes, the manufacture of which 
had been previously monopolized by several English 
houses. These experiments were successful; and the 
English wire was discarded for that made in Worcester. 
From that time on the Washburn & Moen Company 
was for many years the only manufacturer of music-wire 
in this country. 

In February, 1856, the Quinsigamond Mills consisted 
of a building one hundred and fifty feet front with two 
wings extending back one hundred and fifty feet, between 
which was a hoop building, sixty by thirty feet; these 
with coal-houses and yards covered more than an acre of 
ground. Here were manufactured Brazer's screws, rivet 
rods, bright and annealed market and telegraph, spring, 
fence, buckle and bail wire; also fine hoops. The daily 
product was ten tons; eighty-five operatives were em- 
ployed and one hundred horse-power was supplied by 
three water-wheels. The annual product of the mill was 
valued at three hundred thousand dollars. 

The first continuous tempering done by Ichabod 
Washburn was in 1856, in the rear of his Summer Street 
residence; this was music wire, and the hardening was 
done in water. Early in 1857 the furnace was removed 
to the old gymnasium in Orchard Street and oil was sub- 
stituted for water. This series of experiments led to an 
important invention in the process of hardening and 
tempering continuously. Hitherto this had only been 
done when the steel wire was in the form of a coil by sub- 
jecting it first to high heat, and then cooling in oil or 
water. But the pressure for music wire and for crinoline 
wire now coming, the old process became too slow and 
expensive to be endured, and it became necessary to adopt 



150 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

some more efficient method. This was found in the con- 
tinuous process of hardening and tempering, which Mr. 
Washburn patented, and which, without any substantial 
improvement or change has been universally adopted, 
rendering possible many results which could not other- 
wise have been reached. 

In 1857 the partnership of Henry S. Washburn and 
Charles F. Washburn was dissolved, and May 1, of 
that year, Charles Washburn and Charles F. Washburn 
formed a copartnership under the name of Charles 
Washburn & Son, and continued in business at the Quin- 
sigamond Works. Henry S. Washburn remained in the 
wire business, and occupied as a factory one of the build- 
ings erected by Nathan Washburn near the freight depot 
of the Western Railroad. 

C. Washburn & Son then manufactured most of their 
common market wire from scrap iron piled on boards 
eighteen by eight inches, heated to a welding heat, and 
rolled into billets which were re-heated and rolled into 
rods. The only appliances in their mills for the produc- 
tion of wire rods were three heating furnaces and a large 
train of two rolls, in which the pile of heated scrap was 
rolled to one and one-eighth inch billets of one hundred 
pounds weight; and a small train of rolls three high, by 
which these billets were rolled to three and a half by four, 
Stubs' gauge, wire rods. Experiments in the burning 
of peat were made by Henry S. Washburn & Co., and by 
I. Washburn & Co., but it did not prove a satisfactory 
substitute for coal. 

In 1856 the Grove Street mill was known as Worcester 
Wire Works, Ichabod Washburn & Co. — Ichabod Wash- 
burn and Philip L. Moen — Proprietors. 

In July 1859, I. Washburn & Company employed one 
hundred and twenty hands in the Grove Street mill, 



CRINOLINE WIRE 151 

and made three tons of iron wire per day. They were 
erecting a new mill three stories high, eighty feet by forty 
feet, and were also making large additions to the mill 
in South Worcester; a new annealing house, fifty feet by 
thirty feet, two stories high, together with additions to 
the main building. 

The crinoline wire business commenced about 1859 
and lasted for ten years. This was made possible by the 
continuous hardening and tempering process invented by 
Mr. Washburn, which made it feasible to temper a cheaper 
grade of cast steel at very little additional cost, and thus 
substitute it for the more expensive methods before used 
for increasing the size of women's skirts. This enabled 
the skirt-makers to put their goods on the market fur- 
nished with steel hoops of great toughness and elasticity, 
and at a price which put them within the reach of the 
poorest; consequently, this line of business was largely 
increased until about 1870, when other fashions came into 
vogue and the consumption of tempered steel in this form 
steadily decreased. For several years the output of 
tempered crinoline wire was one thousand five hundred 
tons annually, making this company the largest consumer 
of cast steel in the country. 

About 1860 Mr. Washburn introduced continuous an- 
nealing, cleaning and galvanizing. This was an English 
invention and a great improvement upon the processes 
previously used, being of especial value at that time in 
the manufacture of telegraph wire. 

In November, 1862, the iron and wire works of Charles 
Washburn & Son, Quinsigamond, were totally destroyed 
by fire. 

In 1863 I. Washburn & Moen built a cotton-mill, 
which was run for about ten years, producing yarn suffi- 
cient to cover four tons per day of tempered crinoline 



152 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

wire. In 1864 I. Washburn & Moen controlled the works 
at Grove Street and South Worcester, but had no rolling- 
mill. Their business was confined to iron and cast steel 
of different grades, Bessemer steel and open-hearth steel 
being introduced many years later. 

January 2, 1865, I. Washburn & Moen changed the 
copartnership to a corporation under the style of I. Wash- 
burn & Moen Wire Works, organized for the purpose of 
manufacturing wire and wire rods. Capital stock, 
$500,000. August 4, 1865, the Quinsigamond Iron & 
Wire Works, which succeeded to the business of Charles 
Washburn & Son, was organized. November 27, 1866, 
a petition was filed to form a corporation "for making 
wire and wire rods, cotton yarn and goods, with a capital 
larger than at present allowed." The petitioners asked 
to be incorporated under the title of Washburn & Moen 
Wire Works, with a capital of $600,000. 

July 7, 1867, the mill at South Worcester was burned 
and the business was conducted at Grove Street until 
March, 1868, when a new mill at South Worcester was in 
readiness. About a year and one-half from that time the 
company commenced the erection of most of the present 
buildings in Grove Street. Meantime, February 24, 1868, 
the Quinsigamond Iron & Wire Works and the Washburn 
& Moen Wire Works were consolidated under the name 
of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company, with 
a capital of $1,000,000. Authority to increase this amount 
to $1,500,000 was granted May 26, 1869. 

In the fall of 1869 was built the first rolling-mill, at 
Grove Street. This was a " Continuous Mill," so called, 
and was in its essential features an English invention. 
The adoption of Bessemer steel, which occurred in 1876, 
created a revolution in the wire business, substituting, as 
it did, a better and cheaper material for very many pur- 



BARBED WIRE 153 

poses. This occurred at the beginning of the barbed wire 
business. The use of Bessemer steel for this purpose alone, 
besides furnishing a stronger wire than could be made 
from Swedish iron, represented a saving of at least four 
million, five hundred thousand dollars annually to the 
farmers of the country. 

The importance of the fence question to the people of 
the United States can perhaps be best appreciated by a 
mere statement of the results contained in the Report of 
the United States Department of Agriculture for 1871, 
from which it appears that the cost of fencing in thirty- 
seven States had amounted to $1,747,549,931, while the 
annual cost of repairs amounted to $93,963,187. 

The cost of fencing per rod, as stated in this report, varies 
from thirty cents in Alabama to $2.20 in Rhode Island. 
In addition, a fence occupies and wastes, upon an average, 
a piece of land half a rod wide, or one acre in every fifty, 
making a total of not less than 50,000,000 acres in the 
United States. Not only was the expense of fencing with 
timber enormous, but apprehension was felt that the 
supply might be unequal to the demands made upon it. 
Wire as a fencing material was recommended as early as 
1821. Speaking of the wastefulness of the common 
method of wooden-fencing, the secretary of the New York 
State Agricultural Society for 1850 stated that the worm- 
fence took "from every one hundred acres an area of 
five acres." 

The substitution of wire for wood as a fencing material 
was generally recommended on the ground that it takes 
up no room, exhausts no soil, shades no vegetation, is 
proof against high winds, makes no snow-drifts, and is 
both durable and cheap. As the necessity for a cheap 
fencing material increased, efforts to supply the need also 
increased. Up to 1881 twelve hundred and twenty-nine 



154 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

patents had been issued relating to fencing, and more 
than two-thirds of that number since 1865. The first 
patent was in 1801, and up to 1857 about one hundred 
had been issued, while in 1866, '67 and '68 three hundred 
and sixty-eight fence patents were issued. 

In examining the patents issued it is found that of the 
twelve hundred and twenty-nine issued up to 1881 forty 
were to inventors in the New England States; three 
hundred and seventy- two to the Middle States; one hun- 
dred and eight to the Southern States ; and six hundred and 
ninety-six to the Western States; eight to the District of 
Columbia and five to Canada. Of the States, Ohio had 
the greatest number, two hundred and forty-one; fol- 
lowed by New York, two hundred and thirty-one ; Illinois, 
one hundred and forty- two; Iowa, ninety-six. 

Up to 1873 plain No. 9 round wire was largely used in 
the West as a fencing material and thousands of tons of 
it were in use, but it was not satisfactory. It stretched 
in warm and contracted in cold weather, which was the 
cause of constant breakages; furthermore, cattle could 
rub against it with impunity, and this constant pressure 
loosened the posts and broke the wire. 

In the fall of 1873 the manufacture of barbed wire was 
begun in a small way at DeKalb, 111., by J. F. Glidden, 
who was a farmer in that town. He first made a few rods 
of fencing and put it up on his own farm in November, 
1873. The process was very crude when compared with 
the present method of manufacture. The barbs were 
first formed by bending around a mandril and then slipped 
upon one wire of the fence; the second wire was then 
intertwisted with the first; this locked the barbs in place 
and prevented lateral as well as rotary motion. The 
fencing was made in sixteen-foot lengths, and as there was 
no means for coiling it on spools for transportation, it was 



BARBED WIRE 155 

carried to the point where it was to be put up, and then 
enough of these sixteen-foot lengths were spliced together 
to give a fence of the desired length. The first piece 
actually sold for use was in the spring of 1874. Three 
boys and two men were able to make fifty pounds per 
day. In June, 1874, it was arranged to do the twisting 
by horse-power, and this increased the product of three 
boys and two men to one hundred and fifty pounds per day. 

In the latter part of 1874 a rude hand-machine was 
devised for twisting the barb upon the main wire and 
spooling the product, which was subsequently unwound 
and twisted with a second wire and then spooled again. 
By the use of the latest machinery, one man could pro- 
duce, in 1889, two thousand pounds, or over five and a half 
miles, in ten hours. 

In the spring of 1876, upon the urgent advice of Charles 
F. Washburn, an officer of the company who believed 
that the introduction of barbed wire would solve the 
fencing problem for the farmers of the west, the Wash- 
burn & Moen Mfg. Co. caused automatic machinery to 
be constructed and patented and in conjunction with 
Isaac L. Ellwood, of De Kalb, Illinois, acquired control 
of the underlying barbed-wire patents. These patents 
were, — one to L. B. Smith, of Ohio (June 25, 1867), in 
which the barb consists of four radially projecting points 
from a hub, which is prevented from moving laterally 
by a bend in the main wire. Patent granted to W. D. 
Hunt, of New York, in which a single fence wire is armed 
with spur-wheels which can revolve upon the main wire. 
Patent to Michael Kelly, of New York, dated February 
11, 1868; this is the first patent to show two wires twisted 
together. The barb was made of a lozenge-shaped piece 
of sheet metal and was strung upon the main wire, while 
for strength, a second wire was intertwisted with the 



156 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

first. This inventor showed a most intelligent concep- 
tion of the subject matter of his invention, as appears 
from the following quotation taken from his specifications: 

I can, by this invention, make an efficient fence from unconnected 
wires, six inches apart, fixing the artificial thorns on the wires four inches 
apart. This fence takes only one-fourth as much wire as in ordinary wire 
fences, yet it is more efficient. This fence will weigh about one-eighth 
as much as ordinary connected wire fence, by which I mean those woven 
or twisted together. It can be wound on a reel, like telegraph wire, and 
a farmer can transport as much in a single wagon-load as will serve to build 
fences for a large farm. 

The next patent in point of date, and chief in im- 
portance, is the patent to Glidden, dated November 
24, 1874, in which is for the first time found a barb made 
of wire wrapped about a fence wire, and locked in place 
by a fellow wire intertwisted with the first. Meantime, 
barbed wire was growing in popularity; at first, strong 
prejudices had to be overcome. Many hardware dealers 
would not have it in their stores. The public, too, had 
to be educated. A length of barbed wire, with two 
barbs upon it, was shown to two men in Texas; one guessed 
it was a model of a fence, the barbs being the posts, and 
another thought it was a bit for a horse. A skeptical 
farmer said he didn't believe it amounted to much; that 
he had a bull (Old Jim) who would go through anything, 
and he guessed he wouldn't stop for barbed wire. His 
field was fenced; "Old Jim" shook his head, elevated his 
tail, and went for it. The farmer was converted, and so 
was " Jim." 

Barbed wire, once introduced, grew rapidly in favor. 
In fact, it became a necessity; strong, durable, cheap, 
easily transported, and an absolute barrier against man 
and beast, it became at once the best fencing material 
known, and the demand for it rapidly increased. Mean- 
time, infringers began to spring up, and litigation fol- 



BARBED WIRE 157 

lowed. No stronger or more persistent efforts were ever 
made to break down a patent property than were directed 
against the barbed wire patents. Thousands of pages of 
testimony were taken upon alleged cases of prior use all 
over the West and in Texas. The greatest interest was 
taken in the cases involving, as they did, the control of 
what even then bade fair to be a most important industry. 

The defence relied upon establishing the alleged cases 
of prior use, and also insisted strongly that there was no 
invention in arming a wire with pricking spurs. The 
United States Circuit Court for the Northern District of 
Illinois, in December, 1880, sustained the patents, and 
this gave the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Com- 
pany, and their associate, Isaac L. Ellwood, of De Kalb, 
111., the control of this business. Licenses were issued to 
most of the parties lately infringing. To protect them- 
selves and their licensees, the Washburn & Moen Manu- 
facturing Company purchased upward of two hundred 
and fifty patents upon barbed wire and barbed wire 
machinery. 

The amount of barbed wire consumed in this country 
increased from five tons, in 1874, to a probable output of 
one hundred and fifty thousand tons, over eight hundred 
and fifty thousand miles, in 1888. Of this amount, the 
Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company made about 
eighteen thousand tons, over one hundred thousand 
miles, while the capacity of their works was seventy-five 
tons per day of ten hours, or four hundred and twenty- 
six miles. The cost to the consumer during that time 
was reduced from eighteen cents per pound to less than 
five cents. This resulted from the reduced price of wire 
and the introduction of automatic machinery. 

About the time that barbed wire began to be manu- 
factured the company became the owners of patents upon 



158 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

bale ties, a wire substitute for the wood and rope previous- 
ly used. There were, in 1889, probably ten thousand 
tons used annually for binding hay in the United States. 
Each ton of wire would bind three hundred and thirty 
tons of hay or straw, and the whole ten thousand tons of 
wire would bind three million three hundred thousand 
tons of hay and straw. 

It formerly cost on an average to press this amount, 
when bound with rope, two dollars per ton. Wire was 
applied to the bales with so much greater ease than wood 
or rope, that a saving of fifty cents per ton, at a low esti- 
mate, was effected in pressing hay when wire ties were 
used. But the greatest saving made to the public by the 
introduction of wire for binding purposes was in the 
increased security against loss by fire. When hay, straw 
or tow are bound with rope or wood, each is easily set 
on fire, the binding material burns, and thus allows the 
compressed mass to become loose and add fuel to the 
flames. This, of course, is not the case when wire is 
used. For this reason, rope and wood were discarded 
many years ago in pressing cotton. Altogether, millions 
of dollars are saved annually to the public by the intro- 
duction of wire ties, all of which was effected in the twelve 
or fourteen years preceding 1889. 

After 1884 copper wire took a prominent place among 
the products of this company, as it was largely substituted 
for iron, particularly in long-distance telephoning and 
electric lighting. Copper has always been preferred to 
iron for electric purposes by reason of its greater conduc- 
tivity, but previous to the introduction of hard-drawn 
copper wire it did not possess the requisite strength. 
By this process a copper wire of sufficient strength could 
be produced much lighter than iron, and of largely in- 
creased conductivity, as is apparent when the fact is 



COPPER WIRE— WIRE ROPE 159 

stated that for a given length of wire an equal degree of 
conductivity will require five times as much weight in a 
mile of iron as of copper wire. 

In January, 1884, there were probably not more than 
one hundred or two hundred miles of hard-drawn copper 
wire in use in this country. In 1889 there were at least 
fifty thousand miles, representing about four thousand 
two hundred tons of metal, in operation by the various 
telegraph and telephone companies, 1 the average weight 
per mile being about one hundred and seventy pounds. 2 
The larger sizes of copper wire are used in connection 
with electric railways. 

Among the specialties introduced by the company 
was wire rope, of which it manufactured: galvanized 
steel wire cable for suspension bridges; phosphor-bronze 
and copper wire rope; transmission and standing rope; 
galvanized wire seizing; hoisting rope; tiller rope; switch 
rope; copper, iron and tinned sash cord wire; clothes- 
lines and picture-cords; galvanized iron wire rope for 
ships' rigging; galvanized crucible cast-steel wire rope for 
yachts' rigging. The rapid introduction of cable rail- 
ways about 1889 created another demand for wire rope. 

The manufacture of wire nails was another branch of 
business conducted by the company. The wire nail, as 
an article of manufacture, was scarcely known in this 
country in 1879. Since that time it has come into general 
use, and it is estimated upon good authority that in 1889 
more wire nails were used than cut nails. The variety 
was very large, running from three-sixteenths of an inch, 

*A memorandum found among the papers of the late Charles F. Washburn states that 
the first experiments in talking through a telephone wire on the premises of the Washburn- 
Moen Mfg. Co. were in the month of March, 1876, with a No. 20 bright iron wire laid on 
the floor of all the rooms in the lower story from the rolling mills into the office of Charles 
H. Morgan, Superintendent at 94 Grove Street. 

2 "Pocket Hand-Book of Copper and Iron Wire," published by W. & M. Manufacturing 
Company, 1888. 



160 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

made from No. 22 iron, to a length of fourteen inches, 
made from No. 000 wire. It is a little remarkable that 
the introduction of two articles of manufacture — barbed 
wire and wire nails — should within the fifteen years pre- 
ceding 1889 have created a new demand for wire, amount- 
ing to at least two hundred and seventy-five thousand 
tons per annum, which was made possible by the use of 
Bessemer steel. 

While the process of drawing wire is, in principle, the 
same as practiced eighty years ago, many improvements 
have been made leading to a largely increased relative 
product. Great advances have been made in certain of 
the mechanical processes, particularly in the rolling of 
wire rods. In 1846 the first rolling mill at Quinsigamond 
produced about five tons of No. 4 rods in ten hours; in 
1889 the output was from forty to fifty tons in the same 
time and the present output is much greater. 

The demand for wire and the purposes for which it was 
used increased rapidly as indicated by the output of two 
hundred and forty-five tons daily in 1889 and the manu- 
facture of four hundred and eighteen different kinds of 
wire. The increase in the business of the corporation was 
most rapid after the introduction of barbed wire. In 1875 
the number of hands employed was seven hundred; in 
1880 two thousand one hundred, and in 1889, there were 
three thousand names on the pay-roll of the company, 
for the most part heads of families, supporting directly 
not less than thirteen thousand persons, and indirectly, 
a much larger number. Of the operatives at that time 
one thousand were Irish; nine hundred Swedes; five 
hundred Americans; two hundred and thirty-six Armen- 
ians; forty-five Germans; other nationalities, three hun- 
dred and nineteen. 



WASHBURN & MOEN MFG. CO. 161 

The buildings of the corporation at that time covered 
twenty-five acres of ground, and the machinery was 
driven by engines of seven thousand two hundred horse- 
power. The officers of the corporation in 1889 were 
Philip L. Moen, president and treasurer; Charles F. Wash- 
burn, vice-president and secretary; Philip W. Moen, assist- 
ant treasurer and general superintendent; Charles G. 
Washburn, assistant secretary and counsel. The above, 
with George T. Dewey, Esq., constituted the board of 
directors. 

The capital stock was increased May 27, 1890, to 
$2,000,000.00, on May 31, 1892, to $2,500,000.00; on 
Feb. 27, 1898, to $3,000,000.00; on May 29, 1894, to 
$3,500,000.00; and on May 26, 1896, to $4,000,000.00. 
The Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. was bought by the 
American Steel & Wire Co. on March 11, 1899, and on 
April 1, 1901, the American Steel & Wire Co. became 
merged in the United States Steel Corporation. The 
business is conducted by the American Steel & Wire 
Company under its own name and with a separate 
organization. 

In 1890 the Company commenced the manufacture of 
insulated wires in two buildings rented on Union Street, 
and in order to meet the increasing demand in electrical 
fields they built, two years later at Quinsigamond, a fac- 
tory equipped for the manufacture of all kinds of insulated 
wires for electrical purposes and cables insulated with 
paper or rubber, lead encased, steel armoured, or pro- 
tected in any way, for aerial, underground, or submarine 
service in connection with incandescent lighting or trans- 
mission or power. 

During the early 90' s the Company commenced to 
manufacture copper rail bonds for bonding the rails of 
electric railroads and their factory is now the largest and 



162 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

best equipped in the world. Four styles of rail bonds are 
now being made, Crown, United States, Multi Ter- 
minal and Soldered, all protected by patents. Complete 
outfits of high grade tools for installing these bonds are 
also manufactured. These rail bonds have been intro- 
duced into every state and territory and in every city 
in the United States, and have been largely exported to 
Canada, Europe and other countries. In 1891, the 
Company erected at Quinsigamond a large factory for 
the manufacture of springs of every description, fine and 
heavy, including furniture, agricultural, motor and car 
springs. On May 19, 1894, the Company leased from 
Waldo Lincoln the Venetian Red & Copperas Works on 
Hammond St., and later purchased the machinery, 
which was moved in 1897 to a building erected for the 
manufacture of copperas and Venetian red. At the end 
of the year, 1906, the Company ceased making the 
Venetian red and now produce only sulphate of iron. 
The term " copperas" has been discontinued. Owing to 
the increasing demand for room for specialties manu- 
factured at Worcester, the greater part of the machinery 
for making barbed wire was removed during 1906 to 
several of the Pennsylvania Works of the Company. 

Under the administration of the American Steel and 
Wire Company the successive managers of the Worcester 
District, which at present includes the Company's 
extensive works at New Haven, Conn., have been, — 
the late Philip W. Moen, the late Charles Ranlet, Harry 
G. Stoddard, and Clinton S. Marshall. Mr. Marshall, 
who has held the office of District Manager since Sep- 
tember, 1904, ranks as a veteran in the service, having 
behind him an active and varied experience of thirty- 
seven years. 



A. S. & W. CO.— WOVEN WIRE FENCING 163 

The beginning and growth of the barbed wire business 
has been alluded to. A few years later, woven wire fencing 
began to attract attention and grew in favor from its 
introduction, until at the present time, its annual sales 
aggregate a very large tonnage. It might be supposed 
that the sales of barbed wire would diminish proportion- 
ately with the increase of the sales of woven wire fencing, 
but such has not been the case. Without doubt, sales 
of barbed wire have been far less than if the woven 
fencing had not been on the market, but barbed wire 
fencing is in no immediate danger of being abandoned 
by the farmers and entirely supplanted by the woven 
wire fence. The following figures apply only to the 
products of the American Steel & Wire Company. In 
a period of fifteen years, beginning with 1899, the first 
and the last years are taken for comparison: 

Shipments of Year 1899 Year 1914 

Barbed wire (net ton) 166,563 193,740 (gain 16.3%) 

Woven wire fencing " " 28,431 293,357 (gain 1031.8%) 

The foregoing figures are sufficient to show that 
barbed wire possesses points of advantage over woven 
fencing for some purposes. 

The steadily increasing demand in the west for various 
kinds of wire and wire products led The Washburn & 
Moen Co., in 1890, to the belief that a great commercial 
advantage would result from establishing a manufactur- 
ing plant in the middle west for better service, and to 
avoid transportation charges on raw material from, and 
on finished products to the west. As a result, the year 
1891 saw in successful operation the large plant located 
on the shores of Lake Michigan, at Waukegan, Illinois. 
The erection of this magnificent plant, laid out on the 
most economical and efficient lines suggested by the 
experience of half a century, was amply justified by the 



164 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

subsequent rapid business expansion. Almost totally- 
destroyed by fire in November, 1899, the plant was 
rebuilt and enlarged by the American Steel & Wire 
Company, who still consider their Waukegan Works 
among the most efficient and productive of their many 
properties. 

Meanwhile, the rapid extension of cable street rail- 
ways had resulted in a large and increasing demand for 
steel wire rope in long lengths. Andrew S. Hallidie, the 
inventor of the cable railway, had established the Cali- 
fornia Wire Works at San Francisco for the manufacture 
of wire and wire rope. Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co., in 
the early 90' s, purchased the California Wire Works 
as an adjunct to the development of their far western 
trade. The use of wire rope for street railways, contrary 
to expectation, has diminished until it is almost negli- 
gible, but other uses for wire and wire rope have increased 
in inverse proportion to the cable railway demand, so 
that now the greatly enlarged California properties of 
the American Steel & Wire Company are required to 
properly care for and serve the increased Pacific Coast 
and Oriental Export trade. 

The past twenty-five years have witnessed expansion 
and development in practically every line of wire manu- 
facture carried on in Worcester. In some instances, 
owing to lack of necessary space, or for purely economi- 
cal reasons, large departments of the industry have been 
transferred bodily to western plants, but their places 
have in all cases been soon filled either by the overflow 
from previously congested departments, or by the 
introduction of some branch of wire manufacture, al- 
ready known to the trade, but not yet established in 
Worcester, as for example, the making of insulated wires 
and cables already referred to or by the instituting of 



AMERICAN STEEL & WIRE CO. 165 

pioneer work in developing an entirely new industry, as 
for example, the manufacture of copper rail bonds. 
Thus, little by little, the manufacture of the more 
common products has been transferred to other districts, 
and the Worcester plants have long since come to be 
known as the specialty producing plants of the Company. 
Notwithstanding the fact that the tonnage of many of 
these specialties is light when taken separately, it is by 
no means small when viewed in the aggregate. Some 
idea of the volume of business in normal times may be 
obtained from the fact that the maximum output of the 
Worcester plants in a single year approximates two 
hundred thousand tons. It is merely referring to a long 
established fact to mention that in no other city in the 
world are so many different kinds of wire and wire 
products manufactured as are produced in Worcester 
by the American Steel & Wire Company. 

A direct cause leading to greater efficiency in manu- 
facture has been the improvement of working conditions, 
including the wholesale installation of safety devices and 
insistence upon the observance of " safety first" rules 
throughout the various plants, better sanitary equip- 
ment, better lighting, better ventilation, cleaner mills 
and mill yards, attractive surroundings, skillful and 
efficient hospital service and medical and surgical 
attendance, including district nurses for the benefit of 
needy employees and their families. The pension 
system should also be mentioned. The Worcester pen- 
sion roll numbers about two hundred and twenty. The 
pensions paid in Worcester to retired employees of the 
Company for the year 1914 amounted to $39,855.56. 
These and other precautions and provisions, all of which 
may be classed under the general heading of "Welfare 
Work," were unknown twenty years ago in connection 



166 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

with a manufacturing enterprise. They have developed 
during recent years as the response of wisely directed 
organized capital to the demands of an awakened public 
conscience with respect to co-operative responsibility. 
The Worcester pay roll under normal business condi- 
tions numbers approximately six thousand, fluctuating 
above and below that figure. This list of employees 
includes about three hundred women. The various 
nationalities represented are distributed as follows.. 
The percentages given are based on the employment 
list of May, 1915. 

PER CENT OF TOTAL 
NATIONALITY NUMBER EMPLOYED 

1. Swedish 21.176 

2. Lithuanian 14.658 

3. Irish 12.655 

4. American 9.698 

5. Finnish 8.458 

6. Polish 8.203 

7. Irish- American 5.628 

8. Armenian 2.893 

9. Italian 2.734 

10. Swedish- American 2.512 

11. Turkish 2.480 

12. English 1.208 

13. French 1.176 

14. French- American 1 . 176 

15. Danish 858 

16. Russian .795 

17. Scotch 731 

18. French-Canadian 413 

19. German 378 

20. English-Canadian 286 

21. English- American .254 

22. Albanian 254 

23. Norwegian 223 

24. German-American .191 

25. Greek 191 

26. Scotch-American .159 

27. Austrian 127 

28. Syrian 095 

29. Afro- American .064 

30. All others 326 

Total, 100.000 



WIRE 167 

In 1885 the Company built one twelve-ton station- 
ary furnace for the production of open hearth steel, 
afterwards increasing to fifteen tons capacity, in 1890 
one twenty-ton stationary furnace, in 1895 two twenty- 
ton stationary furnaces, and in 1899 four fifty-ton 
rolling furnaces, so that now they have eight furnaces 
(four acid and four basic), with an annual capacity of 
one hundred and seventy thousand tons of ingots. At 
the present time, the four-inch square blooms which 
are of varying lengths, according to the size bundle 
desired in finished wire, are rolled to billets usually one 
and one-eighth inches in diameter, and the billets to 
rods varying from .162 inches in diameter to as large 
a size as orders may call for. These rods are then drawn 
cold to the size wire desired through one or more drafts. 
At the present time the output of all the rod mills is 
from two hundred and seventy to two hundred and 
eighty tons in twelve hours. 

Philip L. Moen died April 24, 1891. Charles F. Wash- 
burn died July 20, 1893. Philip W. Moen died Septem- 
ber 12, 1904. 

The Worcester Wire Company, William E. Rice, 
president and treasurer, was in 1889 located on the Old 
South Worcester privilege, utilized for manufacturing 
purposes from the earliest times, now the central works of 
the American Steel & Wire Co. Here was manufactured 
a variety of wire, including tedder, rake teeth, wire for 
hay bales, and barbed fencing, bridge rope and general 
wire; bottling, baling wire; tinned mattress, tinned 
broom wire, harvesting wire on spools; wire for the manu- 
facture of screws, bolts, rivets, nails, buckles, staples, 
rings, hooks and eyes, pin, hair-pin, reed, harness, heddle, 
bonnet, brush, broom, hat, clock and umbrella wire; 
also telegraph and telephone wire. This company has 
been absorbed by the American Steel & Wire Company. 



168 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

It is interesting to trace the progress of somewhat 
remote causes to ultimate results. Erastus B. Bigelow 
was born in West Boylston in 1814; before he was four- 
teen years old he had invented a hand-loom and a machine 
for making piping cord. He invented the first power 
loom for making counterpanes, coach lace, Brussels 
and Wilton Carpets. This led to the invention of a 
loom for weaving wire cloth and to the founding of the 
Clinton Wire Cloth Co. George F. Wright, who died in 
Worcester May 30, 1903, at the age of seventy-one, was 
born in Westford and learned the trade of a cabinet-maker. 
In 1858 he was a member of the firm of Burt, Wright & 
Co., manufacturers of Horse power machinery at 
Harvard. The firm name was later changed to A. & 
G. F. Wright. In 1862, Mr. Wright entered the em- 
ployment of the Clinton Wire Cloth Co. and was master 
mechanic for twenty years, during which time he de- 
vised many improvements in wire working machinery. 
He patented the first complete fly shuttle loom, especially 
designed for weaving wire cloth for fly screens. He 
originated the method of drying painted wire cloth by 
running it into a tower and devised the machinery for 
doing it automatically. This system is in general use by 
all window screen wire cloth weavers. Mr. Wright 
probably constructed the first machine in this country 
for weaving hexagonal mesh netting of which poultry 
netting is an example. He devised a method for the 
papering of paper boxes and sold his patent to Dicker- 
man Paper Box Co., of Boston. I am informed that 
this principle is embodied in machinery now built by the 
Hobbs Mfg. Co., used by such concerns as the Royal 
Worcester Corset Co., who make their own boxes. 
During his early residence in Clinton, Mr. Wright did 
more or less work as a patent solicitor and was con- 



WIRE 169 

suited as an expert in patent cases. I well remember 
when, in 1882, he came into my office, then at the 
Worcester Barb Fence Co. factory, 49 Union St., and 
talked over his plan to organize a new company for 
making wire cloth. He had with him the working draw- 
ings of his loom. After spending a few months in 
Worcester, Mr. Wright organized with his sons the 
Palmer Wire Goods Co., and located in Palmer, Mass., 
in the fall of 1883. The business, at first the manu- 
facture of wire cloth and lath, and two years later of 
poultry netting, was begun with six operatives. 

It was reorganized as the Wright Wire Cloth Company 
in 1885. The company moved to Worcester in December, 

1889, and the name was changed to the Wright and 
Colton (Samuel H. Colton) Wire Cloth Co. The Wor- 
cester works (Hammond St.) were started in January, 

1890. In 1902 the name of the corporation was changed 
to Wright Wire Co. Meantime the variety of the 
products has been greatly increased and now includes 
wire, wire cloth and window screen cloth, wire rope and 
cable, wire clothes line and picture cord, poultry netting, 
wire lathing, staples, conductor strainers, foundry 
riddles, ornamental iron work and elevator cabs, steel 
and wire fences. 

There are now about nine hundred and fifty employees 
in the Worcester and Palmer plants, and the company 
has warehouses in various parts of the country. The 
capital stock is $650,000, and the yearly amount of 
business between $3,000,000 and $4,000,000. George F. 
Wright was president of the Wright Company from 
1883 until the time of his death in 1903. The officers 
are: George M. Wright, president and general manager; 
Herbert N. Wright, treasurer; John A. Denholm, 
assistant treasurer; George F. Wright, assistant general 



170 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

manager, who, with Charles M. Thayer, O. W. Nor- 
cross, and Rufus B. Fowler, compose the Board of 
Directors. 

It will be noticed that the founder of this business and 
Charles H. Morgan, the founder of the Morgan Spring 
Co. and of the Morgan Construction Co., both received 
their early training in the Carpet and Wire Cloth Mills 
established by Erastus B. Bigelow in Clinton. 

The Spencer Wire Company, whose headquarters 
are now in Worcester, was incorporated in Spencer, 
Massachusetts, in 1876, but had its inception many 
years before. Experiments in fine wire drawing were 
made by Windsor Hatch and Charles Watson, about 
1812, at the house of Jacob Watson in Spencer. The 
wire was drawn from two tubs by hand. About the same 
time Elliot Prouty also began business but it was not 
until 1820 that wire drawing became an industry, and 
then only in a small way. 

In 1847 Myrick & Sugden succeeded to the business 
and for almost a half century thereafter Richard Sugden, 
who later became president of the Spencer Wire Com- 
pany, gave his undivided attention to the business, 
until his death in 1895, at the age of eighty. From the 
beginning the business has shown a steady increase. 
In 1845 the total product was sixteen tons, valued at 
$8,000. In 1895 the product was one thousand, three 
hundred and thirty-two tons, valued at $141,500. The 
mills at Spencer, consisting of over twenty buildings, 
are still running to capacity, employing about one 
hundred and fifty hands and producing about twenty- 
five hundred tons of finished wire, valued at $300,000 in 
1913. 

In 1899 it was decided to build a new and larger mill 
in Worcester on account of its superior shipping facilities 



WIRE 171 

and, in April 1900, the Worcester mill was put in opera- 
tion. About four acres of land on Webster Street, in 
New Worcester, the Albert Curtis property, were first 
purchased. More land, repeated additions and new 
departments have been necessary each year. The 
Worcester plant now controls over thirty acres of land. 
The mill on Webster Street is over three hundred and 
fifty feet long, four stories in height. On Webster Court 
five hundred and fifty feet, three stories, and on Jacques 
Street, five hundred and sixty feet, three stories. These 
large buildings, with ten smaller ones, give over seven 
and one-half acres of floor space occupied by the dif- 
ferent departments. 

In the fourteen years at Worcester, the business has 
grown to eleven thousand five hundred tons annually, 
valued at over a million and a quarter dollars. The 
total business of the Company is over a million and a 
half dollars annually, an increase of ten hundred per 
cent in the last twenty years. A very extensive variety 
of wires and general wire goods are manufactured for 
trade all over this country and abroad. The range of 
product covers round wires from three-quarters of an 
inch diameter to three one-thousandths, and flat wires 
up to three inches wide. Wire in all shapes, and wire 
articles from pins to croquet sets, and from watch chains 
to dish pan handles. Wire rope and cables, from the 
smallest to six inches circumference, are also an important 
department, occupying a building built expressly for 
that purpose. As the works at Worcester are all com- 
paratively new it has been possible to install all modern 
improvements and electricity plays an important part. 
The power used is almost exclusively electric, while 
cranes, elevators, pumps, conveyors, and trucks utilize 
the same power. 



172 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Until within the past ten years very few improve- 
ments have been made in drawing wire over the earliest 
practice, but, in the last decade, radical improvements 
have been made, particularly in the introduction of 
continuous drawing machines and of continuous an- 
nealing. Because of the length of time this business has 
been established, the Company has the benefit of ex- 
perienced workmen who have been employed many 
years. At the Spencer mills three generations of the 
same family are working side by side. The oldest 
employee has worked there over fifty-one years. At the 
Spencer mills the preponderance of help has always been 
French Canadians, and continues so today, while at 
the Worcester mills the majority of the employees are 
Swedes for the skilled work, and Poles for the heavier 
work. When running full time about seven hundred 
people are employed. 

Accompanying the material growth of the Company, 
considerable attention has been paid to the personal 
side. Mutual Benefit Associations, entirely indepen- 
dent of each other are in successful operation at both the 
Worcester and Spencer plants. These are managed 
entirely by the men, and pay both sick and death bene- 
fits. A Deposit Account entirely for the use of employees 
is conducted by the Company. Deposits are placed on 
interest monthly and may be withdrawn at any time. 
Only about fifteen per cent of the employees make use 
of this feature at the present time, but their deposits 
amount to such a large sum that it shows what could be 
accomplished by working people if they were disposed 
to take advantage of their opportunities to save money. 
Safety appliances are in general use over the plant 
wherever available and a small premium is paid to 
members of the Benefit Association who can avoid 
accidents for certain periods. 



WIRE 173 

The officers of the Company have been long connected 
with the business. President and Treasurer, H. W. 
Goddard, since 1881, a grandson of Benjamin Goddard, 
a partner of Ichabod Washburn in 1831 and a son of 
Dorrance Goddard; Secretary, E. B. Dunn, since 1892. 
Superintendent, G. M. Thompson, since 1904; Assistant 
Superintendent, W. G. Hall, since 1901, and Assistant 
Treasurer F. Kilmer, since 1900. 

Wire-working as an industry in Worcester was con- 
temporaneous with wire-making. In April, 1831, Jabez 
Bigelow manufactured, in Rutland, "wire sieves, such 
as meal sieves, sand riddles, etc., also all kinds of safes 
for meat and provisions. " In 1834 he was located at 
the "Stone building," Front Street, on the canal, where 
he manufactured "meat, milk, cheese and provision 
safes, wire sieves, grain, coal, sand, sugar and baker's 
riddles. Fire fenders, sand screens, hatters' hurls, 
dusters for paper-mills, cellar and window guards, 
netting, wire lace, bird cages, plate covers and brass 
screens." In the following year Mr. Bigelow advertised 
for two girls who could take a loom to their dwelling. 

In 1845, Samuel Ayres began to weave wire for Mr. 
Bigelow in a shop in Norwich Street. Mr. Bigelow then 
had three looms — one large and two small ones — and the 
business employed in all six hands, among whom were 
Mr. Bigelow' s sons. The business of wire-working was 
subsequently conducted by several firms, and finally 
consolidated in the National Manufacturing Company, 
of which Jonah H. Bigelow, a son of Jabez Bigelow, was 
president. This company has conducted a prosperous 
business for many years, manufacturing a very large 
variety of wire goods and is now located at Union Street 
and Summer Street. In 1916 the business was purchased 
by the Morgan Spring Co. 



174 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The business now conducted by The Wire Goods 
Company was commenced by Charles G. Washburn in 
the fall of 1880, on the top floor of the building then 
occupied by C. H. Hutchins & Company, in Allen Court, 
now 12 Federal St. The articles manufactured were 
wire goods for cotton and woolen machinery. Septem- 
ber 12, 1882, it was incorporated under the name of 
The Wire Goods Company, and was continued for a time 
in Allen Court, but was subsequently moved into the 
brick factory in Union Street, the present situation. 
Meantime, the business has very much increased. In 

1888 the business of the Ayres Manufacturing Company 
was purchased and merged in that of The Wire Goods 
Company. 

The Company is still located on Union Street. In 

1889 it occupied a floor space of substantially 25,000 
sq. ft. This has been increased from time to time until 
now it occupies approximately 150,000 sq. ft. Arthur 
W. Parmelee, as President and Treasurer, was in direct 
control of the business until January, 1900, when he 
retired from the active management. At that time Regi- 
nald Washburn was elected treasurer and Lewis H. 
Janes, secretary. Mr. Parmelee retained the position 
of president of the Company until April 24, 1906, when 
he was succeeded by Reginald Washburn. 

The range of merchandise manufactured has increased 
rapidly since 1889. The Company carries in stock and 
offers for sale upwards of forty-four hundred different 
articles made from wire. These articles consist of Wire 
Hardware, such as bright iron and brass screw eyes, 
screw hooks, gate hooks and eyes, belt hooks, hitching 
rings, hand rail screws, hammock hooks, wood screws 
and garment hangers; Kitchen Ware consisting of such 
items as strainers, broilers, pot chains, potato mashers, 



WIRE GOODS 175 

dish drainers, and kindred articles. In addition the 
Company produces a wide range of special articles. This 
is made possible by its exceptionally complete equip- 
ment of tools adapted to this class of work. 

In addition to the expansion already mentioned, the 
Company has acquired all of the capital stock of The 
E. Jenckes Manufacturing Company of Pawtucket, 
Rhode Island, manufacturers of wire hardware, and 
the Woods-Sherwood Company of Lowell, the oldest 
concern in the country manufacturing kitchenware, 
with an excellent reputation for quality. Both of these 
companies have been moved to Worcester. The business 
of The E. Jenckes Manufacturing Company is continued 
as before under the management of The Wire Goods 
Company. The Woods-Sherwood Company has been 
absorbed by The Wire Goods Company, and its lines of 
merchandise are manufactured and sold by the latter 
under the Woods-Sherwood trade-mark. 

The Company employs at present about three hundred 
and fifty men and women when running at capacity. 
There are many different nationalities represented, in- 
cluding American, Irish, French, Greek, Italian, Swedish, 
Scotch, Polish, Armenian and Hebrew. 

Hamblin & Russell began in Front Street the manu- 
facture of a variety of wire goods similar to those made 
by the National Manufacturing Company and The 
Wire Goods Co. This company has a flourishing busi- 
ness at 28 Water Street. 

The Parker Wire Goods Co. manufacture general and 
special wire hardware and metal stampings in The 
Osgood Bradley Building in Grafton Street. 

Henry E. Dean, Austin Street, manufactured in 1889 
a special line of general hardware and house goods, 



176 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

elevator and window guards, also all kinds of steel wire 
brushes. The business is now known as Dean Wire 
Goods Co. 

A very important business in which wire is the raw 
material consumed is that of Reed & Prince Manufac- 
turing Company. In April 1886, Edgar Reed and 
Thomas Prince formed a partnership under the name of 
Reed & Prince, for the purpose of manufacturing rivets 
and burrs, renting the basement in the Stone Mill, 
located at the corner of Tainter and Gardner Streets, 
which at that time was owned by the Forehand Arms 
Co. Beginning with seven thousand square feet of floor 
space, and employing five people, the Company gradually 
added to its equipment as the increasing business de- 
manded, remaining in this location for seventeen years. 

In 1902 the Company, under the name of Reed & 
Prince Mfg. Co., was incorporated under Massachusetts 
laws, the officers being: Edgar Reed, president; William 
L. Ames, treasurer; E. Howard Reed, secretary. These, 
with Thomas Prince and Chester T. Reed, are its 
directors. 

In July 1903, the Company moved into its own build- 
ings, which had been erected to meet the particular 
requirements of the business, on the line of the B. & 
A. R. R. Co., at Duncan Avenue, near Webster Square. 
The Company now occupies one hundred and sixty-five 
thousand square feet of floor space, employs over five 
hundred people and has an output of over four hundred 
tons of finished products per month, consisting of rivets, 
burrs, wood screws, machine screws, stove bolts, tire 
bolts and many special goods of similar kinds. 

Charles Hill Morgan, at that time general superin- 
tendent of Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co., believing, about 
1880, that there was a rapidly developing market for 



WIRE SPRINGS 177 

steel wire springs and knowing how to produce and where 
to obtain wire of the required quality, organized The 
Morgan Spring Company, which was incorporated in 
1881 for the manufacture of steel springs and articles 
made from tempered wire. Francis Henry Morgan, a 
younger brother of Charles Hill Morgan, was also one 
of the incorporators of the Company, and became its 
treasurer and manager, which position he filled until 
his death in 1899. In 1881 C. H. Morgan purchased 
land and buildings on Lincoln Street, near Lincoln Square, 
from The Worcester Gas Light Company, the property 
having been a part of Worcester's first gas plant. The 
business started in this location, and grew steadily. 
The process of oil tempering wire continuously was 
developed, and proved to be an important step in the 
advance of spring making. 

In 1883 a brick building of four stories was erected 
at 21 Lincoln Street by C. H. Morgan for the use of the 
Company. The drawing of wire and the production of 
articles made from wire other than springs, was under- 
taken. In 1903 land was purchased in Greendale, near 
Barber's Crossing. Two years later buildings were 
erected upon this property and in 1906 the business of 
the Company was removed entirely from Lincoln Street 
to its present location. 

In 1905 an extensive plant was purchased at Struthers, 
Ohio, where rod rolling and wire making machinery 
was installed. Two years later this property was sold 
to the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company. In 1916 
the plant and business of National Manufacturing Com- 
pany, located on Union and Summer Streets, were pur- 
chased. At the present time from six hundred and fifty 
to seven hundred people are employed. 



178 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Charles Hill Morgan was president of the Company 
from its incorporation until the time of his death in 1911. 
a period of thirty year?. He was succeeded by his son. 
Paul B. Morgan. Francis Henry Morgan was treasurer 
of the Company for eighteen years, being followed in 
that office by Paul B. and Charles F. Morgan, and 
Evan F." Jones, who now holds the office. Mr. Jones is 
also general manager of the Company, having succeeded 
F. F. Bullard in 1907. The officers are: president. Paul 
B. Morgan; treasurer and general manager. Evan F. 
Jones; directors, Rufus B. Fowler. Jerome R. George. 
Charles F. Morgan, Edgar F. Scott. W. H. Beecher. 
H. W. Heedy, Charles H. Booth, Evan F. Jones and Paul 
B. Morgan. 

It was natural that Charles H. Morgan, who. while 
general superintendent of the Washburn & Moen Mfg. 
Co., had devoted much time to the construction of mills 
for rolling wire rods, should have continued in this field 
after he left the service of that corporation. He organ- 
ized the Morgan Construction Company which was 
incorporated September 23. 1891, associating with him 
his son Paul B. Morgan, a graduate of the Worcester 
Polytechnic Institute in the class of 1890, and Victor 
E. Edwards, in the class of 1SS3. 

Before dealing directly with the Company. I will 
speak generally of the art of rolling wire rods to which I 
have already referred in connection with the Washburn 
& Moen Mfg. Co. Wire rods have always been rolled 
in this country on two distinct types of mills. — the Gar- 
rett mill and the Morgan mill. Originally the Garrett 
mill consisted of hand charged Siemens heating furnaces, 
a three-high eigh teen-inch hand roughing train and 
ten-inch finishing trains, hand operated reels and a 
large force of skilled men. At the time Garrett became 



ROLLING MILLS 179 

interested in rod rolling the roll trains consisted of simple 
Belgian trains, and the billet used was about three 
inches square. Mr. Garrett claimed to have invented and 
introduced the four-inch square billet. Continuous 
heating furnaces were also applied to this type of mill 
by Mr. Garrett. He rearranged the finishing trains 
into two groups, introduced the automatic reel and 
later introduced the McCallip repeater, and sloping 
floors for the loops, invented and patented by another 
man. Later he substituted the continuous roughing 
train for the hand roughing, and then later the gravity 
end discharge continuous heating furnace, so that at the 
time of Mr. Garrett's death a few years ago, all that was 
left of his original ideas was the four-inch billet. These 
mills, however, produced a very large tonnage of wire 
rods at a very satisfactory cost. The weight of billet 
which could be finished in one piece was limited to about 
one hundred and seventy-five pounds because of the 
rapid cooling of the rod when looped out on the floor. 

The pure continuous type of rod mill built exclusively 
by the Morgan Construction Co. has gradually dis- 
placed the Garrett type of mill as far as new construction 
is concerned, and no Garrett mills have been built in this 
country for six or eight years. The great advantage of 
the pure continuous mill is in lower labor and lower power 
cost, the power required for the pure continuous process 
being not more than two-thirds of that required when 
rolling at the lower temperatures which obtained in the 
Garrett mill. These mills are now rolling coils up to four 
hundred pounds weight, and the latest designs of double 
strand continuous mills produce an average of four 
hundred tons a day of number five wire rods. By im- 
provement in details alone, the tonnage has been more 
than doubled in this type of mill in the last twenty years. 



180 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

There has been no change whatever in the general prin- 
ciple of rolling during that time. The automatic types of 
reels used are known as the laying and pouring type, 
invented by Charles H. Morgan and Fred H. Daniels 
while they were with the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co., 
and these two types of reels are now in universal use 
throughout the world. The number of men employed on 
a pure continuous mill producing four hundred tons in 
twenty-four hours and operating two twelve-hour shifts 
is from forty- three to forty-five. This includes taking the 
billets from the cars, heating, rolling, coiling and putting 
the finished coils back on the cars. 

Although the Morgan Construction Company is build- 
ing practically all of the continuous wire rod rolling mills 
in the world, this type of mill is now but a small part of 
the business of the Company, which does almost an equal 
amount of business in the form of special rolling mill 
equipment, producer gas machines and wire drawing 
machinery. There have been no radical inventions or 
improvements made by the Morgan Construction Co. in 
connection with wire rod rolling. The continuous heating 
furnace for thirty feet billets, the continuous roll trains 
and the automatic reels were all in use prior to the forma- 
tion of the company. The increase in tonnage of more 
than one hundred per cent, the lower cost of power, 
maintenance, labor, etc., have been brought about en- 
tirely by improvement in the multiplicity of details, 
excepting the introduction of the Edwards Flying Shear, 
which is used at about the middle of the mill for cropping 
the first end. This undoubtedly has contributed largely 
toward a better yield and a better tonnage. 

Charles H. Morgan was a great believer in the future of 
the continuous mill long before and after the organiza- 
tion of the Construction Company. He was identified 



ROLLING MILLS 181 

with the first continuous mill brought to this country, 
which was used for the purpose of rolling wire rods, and 
he undoubtedly contributed more toward the introduc- 
tion of the continuous wire rod mill than any other man. 
It is interesting to note that the continuous mill for a 
good many years was used exclusively for rolling wire 
rods. In later years it has been demonstrated conclusively 
that the continuous mill is perfectly adapted to the 
production of skelp, hoops, cotton ties, billets and sheet 
bar. 

Some adequate idea of the extent of the operations of 
the Morgan Construction Company may be gained from 
the fact that it has designed and built, for operation in 
this country, twelve mills for rolling wire rods, sixteen 
mills for rolling billets, eight billet and sheet bar mills, 
twenty-one merchant mills, eight roughing mills, one 
hoop and tie mill, one rod, tie and spike rod mill, one 
steel works and billet mill, one bar, hoop, tie and rod 
mill, two sheet bar mills, four skelp mills, one flat mill. 
For operation in other countries: in Canada, one rod mill, 
two billet mills, two rod and merchant mills; in England, 
one roughing mill, one bar, hoop, tie, and rod mill, two 
billet mills, one rod mill; in Germany, one hoop mill, 
two merchant mills, one bar, hoop, tie and rod mill; in 
Belgium, one rod mill; in Austria, one rod mill; in 
Australia, one rod mill; in India, one billet mill, one 
billet and sheet bar mill, one merchant mill. 

At the present time the officers of the Corporation are : 
Paul B. Morgan, president and treasurer; Victor E. Ed- 
wards, vice-president; Jerome R. George, chief engineer. 
The works are located at 21 Lincoln St., the site of the 
old gas works. 

An interesting illustration of the utilization of waste 
products is found in the manufacture of sulphate of iron 



182 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

or green vitriol — commonly known as copperas, and 
popularly, but erroneously supposed to be a salt of 
copper — from the waste sulphuric acid used in cleaning 
wire. This waste acid, heavily charged as it is with iron, 
was taken from the wire mills, in 1889 and previously, to 
the works of W. E. Cutter & Co. (W. E. Cutter and 
Waldo Lincoln), located on Hammond St., opposite the 
present location of the Wright Wire Co., where, after 
being evaporated in lead-lined tanks in which iron in the 
form of waste wire was placed to further neutralize the 
acid, it was drawn off into large cooling-tanks. The cop- 
peras was deposited in green crystals upon sticks sus- 
pended in the liquid. Copperas is used in dyeing as a 
disinfectant, and in the manufacture of ink, and largely 
in the manufacture of Venetian red, which was also made 
by W. E. Cutter & Co. In 1899, 7,000,000 pounds of 
copperas were manufactured by this company annually, 
representing about seven hundred short tons of metallic 
iron; about one-third of the copperas was converted into 
Venetian red, of which the annual product was two 
thousand tons. This is an oxide of iron paint, and was 
very extensively used. This business as stated elsewhere 
has been purchased by the American Steel & Wire Co. 

Copperas was also obtained by the oxidation of iron 
pyrites — sulphate of iron. In 1830 a bed of iron pyrites 
was discovered in Hubbardston, and Mr. Bennett, of 
that place, with Messrs. John Green, Benjamin F. Hey- 
wood and James Green, of Worcester, formed a company 
for the manufacture of copperas, and began operations; 
but the enterprise did not prove successful. In December, 
1828, the canal boat " Worcester," Captain Green, among 
other things,brought one ton of copperas from Providence. 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 183 



CHAPTER VI 

Carriages and Cars — Wood-working Machinery — Musical Instruments — 
Envelopes . 

The business of carriage-making was conducted in 
Worcester at a very early day. Curtis & Goddard were 
in business in 1808. 

In 1822 Osgood Bradley came to Worcester, and started 
the stage and carriage business in a small shop in the rear 
of Parker Block in Main Street, and the same year moved 
into Atchison's carriage shop in School Street, where he 
manufactured and kept on hand mail coaches, chaises, 
gigs, wagons, sleighs, cutters, etc. Associated with Mr. 
Bradley was John Manning, harness-maker, who after- 
wards, in 1825, went into business with Edward M. Burr, 
in the manufacture to order of coaches, chaises, saddles 
and harness, opposite Stiles & Butman's store, a few rods 
north of the brick hotel. Osgood Bradley & Co. con- 
tinued in the manufacture of coaches, chaises and har- 
ness in School Street, near Captain Thomas' coffee house, 
and were succeeded by Solon Fay, September 2, 1829. 

Albert Tolman was born in Lincoln, Mass., and came 
from Concord to Worcester in 1833. At that time it 
must be remembered, manufacturing in Worcester was 
in a very primitive condition; the shops were all very 
small, and the proprietor, with one or two workmen and 
an apprentice, usually did the work. In 1833, Mr. Tol- 
man formed a copartnership with Samuel L. Hunstable, 
and advertised to do chaise and harness-making in the 
yard of the Central Hotel. At this time a Mr. Goddard 
had a harness shop north of the Bay State House, near 
where the Waldo Block now is. Benjamin Goddard was 



184 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

a carriage maker, and had a shop on the corner of Waldo 
and Exchange Streets. 

William Leggett was at that time an old harness-maker 
here, and was afterwards one of the first conductors on 
the Nashua Railroad. The firm of Tolman & Hunstable 
continued until 1837, when the firm of A. Tolman & Co. 
was formed, composed of A. Tolman and G. W. Russell, 
which continued forty years. Their work for many years 
was the manufacture of first-class family carriages, which 
they sent all over the world, some of them going to Cal- 
ifornia, and even to Africa and Australia. Mr. Tolman 
once built a carriage for Mrs. Governor Duncan, of 
Ohio, before the days of railroad communication; it was 
shipped to New Orleans, and from there went up the 
Ohio River to its destination. Later hundreds of carriages 
came from Ohio to the East by rail. 

Meantime Mr. Bradley had again gone into business. 
In 1833, he commenced building passenger cars, which 
were the first cars constructed for the use of steam roads. 
Passenger cars at that time were simply stage coach bodies 
placed on wheels which were flanged, for use on tracks, 
in place of the ordinary wheels for service on highways. 
The first cars built at the shops were hauled to Boston 
over the turnpike. From that time the business of build- 
ing steam cars rapidly increased. Early in the history of 
the business some were sent to foreign countries. In 
the early forties a Mr. Rice became a member of the 
firm, the name of which was changed to Bradley & 
Rice. Mr. Rice went to California in 1849, and the 
firm was dissolved. From that time the business was 
conducted under the name of Osgood Bradley. 

Just before the Civil War a large contract for equip- 
ment for Egypt was awarded to him. During the war, 
the works were employed by the government. Gun car- 



CARS 185 

riages and caissons were built during the last two or 
three years of the war, in addition to cars. There were 
several instances where cars delivered in the South were 
captured by the Southern forces, and were burned before 
being put in service. 

In the late sixties the company built sleeping cars that 
ran on the New York and Boston sleeping car line, and 
about that time sent a sleeping car to the far West. This 
was running on one of the roads out of Chicago, and 
Osgood Bradley, Jr., had charge of it. George M. Pull- 
man, also, had a car of which he was in charge, running 
on another road. It was decided, at that time, to 
sell to the railroads the car sent them for trial, while 
Pullman kept his car. This was the nucleus of the present 
large business of the Pullman Company. 

The Osgood Bradley business was later moved to the 
corner of Water and Winter Streets and in 1844 to the 
corner of Grafton and Franklin Streets. This site was 
occupied until 1910, when its manufacturing value was 
destroyed because the railroads took part of the land in 
connection with the elimination of grade crossings and 
the construction of a new Union Station. The Osgood 
Bradley building was subsequently built on this location. 

In 1881 the firm name was changed to Osgood Bradley 
& Sons, Osgood Bradley, Sr., taking into the business 
at that time Henry O. Bradley, father of John E. Bradley 
and Osgood Bradley, Jr. In 1884 Osgood Bradley, Sr., 
died and the business was then in the hands of Henry O. 
Bradley and Osgood Bradley, Jr. It was continued by 
them up to the time of the death of Osgood Bradley, Jr., 
in 1896, after which time the business was conducted by 
Henry 0. Bradley until his death in 1902. From that 
time until 1909, the business was carried on and 
owned by John E. Bradley, the son of Henry 0. Bradley. 



186 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The elimination of the grade crossings already alluded 
to, forced the removal of the car plant to a new location, 
and a large tract of more than fifty acres was purchased 
at Greendale, near the Summit, where was constructed 
the most modern car building plant in the country. It 
contains approximately eighteen acres of floor space, and 
is equipped with the most modern machinery and ap- 
pliances for the lessening of manual labor. The works 
are fitted for the erection of all classes of steam and elec- 
tric equipment for both domestic and foreign service, in 
wood, steel and all-steel. The steel car business is in 
its infancy in this country, as they have been manufac- 
tured for the past five or six years only, yet this Company 
has built, up to the present time, between five hundred 
and six hundred cars of this most modern type. The 
plant at Greendale ranks second in the United States, the 
only company exceeding it in size being the Pullman 
plant near Chicago. 

The surviving member of the family, John E. Bradley, 
is president of the new corporation, the Osgood Bradley 
Car Company, incorporated in 1909, under the laws of 
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Under normal 
conditions, the works employ about twelve hundred men, 
and do a business of from seven to eight million dollars 
a year. 

In 1847 Abraham Flagg, at his shop, 22 Exchange 
Street, manufactured I. Woodcock's patent "Worces- 
teree," a two-wheeled vehicle. Woodcock, Jones & Co. 
also manufactured them. 

In 1851 the carriage business in Worcester supported 
about fifty families. The largest factory was that of 
Tolman & Russell; it embraced some half-dozen build- 
ings and gave employment to twenty-five hands. Most 
of their carriages were of the more expensive kind. At 



CARRIAGES 187 

this time they were finishing three, one for the Adams 
House, Boston; one for a New Bedford merchant, and 
one for Mr. White, of Worcester, "the attentive and 
obliging hackman, whom everybody knows and every- 
body employs." Besides these heavier carriages, Tolman 
& Russell manufactured a great many lighter vehicles 
of various patterns and prices, such as chaises, phaetons, 
rockaways and buggies. It is said that the members of 
this firm at one time refused to take a large contract 
from the Government for the supply of army wagons for 
the use of the army during the Mexican War, solely on 
the ground that they believed the war to be unjust and 
did not wish to participate in the profits of such injustice. 
The average number of vehicles manufactured by Tolman 
& Russell at this time was about one hundred per year. 

The establishment of Breck & Wilder was situated in 
School Street, employing somewhat fewer hands than 
Tolman & Russell. Their shop occupied the site formerly 
occupied by Osgood Bradley, and their business was 
confined especially to omnibuses and stage-coaches. They 
built some of the largest omnibuses running between 
Boston and the adjacent towns, and had, in April, 1851, 
just finished an omnibus of immense proportions, named 
the " Jared Sparks," intended to run on the line between 
Cambridge and Boston. 

George W. Wilder built a new light carriage known as 
the "York wagon." William C. Whiting's carriage 
factory, in Mechanic Street, employed ten hands on light 
carriages of all descriptions. 

For some time prior to 1889 Tolman & Russell con- 
fined themselves almost entirely to the manufacture of 
hearses, which found a market in all parts of the United 
States. Mr. Tolman retired from the firm in 1879. The 
business was then conducted by H. J. & J. E. Russell, 



188 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

and now by Herbert J. Russell at the old location, 32 
Exchange Street. 

Under the old apprentice system in this business, boys 
were taken from fifteen to twenty-one years of age, and 
were paid from thirty to fifty dollars a year and their 
board. They bought their own clothes and the last year 
of their apprenticeship were paid seventy-five dollars, 
which included a " freedom suit." About 1830 the 
working day averaged from twelve to thirteen hours, 
and all the work was hand-work, down to the rivets and 
bolts. The average wages of a good workman, $1.25 per 
day. 

As late as 1866 a good many carriages were made by 
O. Blood & Sons, Tolman & Russell and Geo. T. Atchi- 
son, who also built water carts. 

The automatic wood-planing machine was invented by 
William Woodworth in 1828. Previous to 1836 the manu- 
facture of wood-working machinery was not carried on as 
a separate industry in any part of the United States. In 
that year the firm of J. A. Fay & Co., composed of J. 
A. Fay and Edward Josslyn, commenced the business in 
Keene, N. H., and a few years later united with the firm 
of C. B. Rogers & Co., at Norwich, Conn. 

In April, 1839, Thomas E. Daniels was located at Court 
Mills, manufacturing his patent planing machines, 
" which are useful in squaring out timber for machinery, 
planing floor and other boards, door, bed-stead and table 
stuff, also for hollowing circles for water-wheel roundings 
and drum locks; he also builds machines for matching 
boards, grooving floor plank, and under floor plank, where 
it is desirable to put mortar between floors in factories to 
prevent fire; recommended by Davis & Howe; Ruggles, 
Nourse & Mason; White & Boyden; Henry Goulding & 
Co. ; Horatio Phelps." He sold out his business to Deacon 



DANIELS PLANER 189 

Richard Ball and Thomas Rice, who were succeeded by- 
Ball Ballard. 

In 1843, Goddard, Rice & Co., put in the first planing 
machine that went by power in Worcester County. In 
October, 1846, Arad Woodworth, New Worcester, showed 
a machine for planing window blind shades; and in 1847 
Charles Price, successor to Price & Hartwell, was engaged 
in building planing machines at No. 2 Central Street. 

In 1849 Howe, Cheney & Co., at Court Mills, had made 
arrangements to build the Daniels Planing Machine, to 
plane all wood from eight to ten inches wide and from four 
to fifty feet in length. 

At the Mechanics' Exhibition in 1851, Ephraim C. 
Tainter exhibited a Daniels Planer embodying many im- 
provements. His factory was at the Junction shop, and 
he was soon after joined by Gardner Childs, who, in 
1853, sold his interest to the Keene and Norwich companies 
already referred to. The business was conducted as a 
branch under the name of J. A. Fay & Co., who also 
manufactured plows, power and foot mortising machinery, 
tenoning and sash-moulding and matching machines. 
The machines of their manufacture became known 
throughout this country and in Europe. In December, 
1858, they were building a fifty-foot planer and other 
machinery for the Don Pedro Railroad in Brazil. 

In 1858, and prior to that time, Ball & Williams 
(Richard Ball and Warren Williams), successors to Ball 
& Ballard, were engaged in School Street, in the manu- 
facture of planing machines for wood-working and of 
improved sash and moulding machines. They had just 
sent an improved Woodworth planer to R. Hoe & Co., 
of New York. Warren Williams retired in 1865. Mr. 
Ball, with his son-in-law, built the factory in Salisbury 
Street, at one time occupied by Witherby, Rugg & Rich- 
ardson and now by Hobbs Mfg. Co. 



190 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

In 1859 J. A. Fay & Co. occupied one hundred feet of 
the second floor of Col. Estabrook's shop at the Junction, 
and employed thirty hands in making wood-working 
machinery, and had then recently sent a saw-mill to Rio 
Janeiro. In 1859 Mr. Fay died, but the business was 
carried on by his widow and the remaining partners. In 
1864 they opened a warehouse at 107 Liberty Street, New 
York, for the sale of their products, and were the pioneers 
there in this line of business. 

In 1877 William B. Mclver and his brother, J. C, 
purchased the tools, stock and good-will of the old firm 
and continued the business under the name of Mclver 
Bros. & Co. They engaged in the general manufacture 
of wood- working machinery on a more extensive scale 
than had been done in the former companies. Mclver 
Bros. & Co. in 1889 occupied the shop below the Junction, 
built by Wood, Light & Co., and in addition to their other 
business were largely engaged in the manufacture of coffee 
machinery for Central America and other coffee-growing 
countries. 

Witherby, Rugg & Richardson began business in 1864, 
in the Armsby building, with twenty men, and employed 
in 1889, at their location in Grove Street, seventy-five 
men. They made a large variety of wood-working 
machinery, which was sold to all parts of the country. 

The principle of producing music by the vibratory 
motion of a reed is most simply illustrated in the jewsharp, 
and the development of this principle through the suc- 
cessive stages of harmonium, accordion, elbow melodeon, 
with foot pedal for working the wind-chest, resulted 
finally in the cabinet organ. This development took 
place within the last century. 

The business of organ-building had been conducted 
in Worcester for more than forty years prior to 1889. 



ORGANS 191 

In 1847 N. B. Jewett was engaged here in making me- 
lodeons, and in 1849 Milton M. Morse, who came from 
Concord, N. H., manufactured seraphines, melodeons 
and eolians for church and parlor use. The first melodeon 
was copied from the accordion. Abraham Prescott, 
of Concord, N. H., manufacturer of bass viols and violon- 
cellos, made an accordion for James A. Bazen, of Canton, 
who thereupon had an enlarged one made by Mr. Morse, 
then in his employ. 

In 1847 the firm of Farley, Pierson & Co., consisting of 
John A. Farley, John G. Pierson and M. M. Morse, began 
business, which was conducted in the old Burnside Build- 
ing, in Main Street. The first cases for this company were 
made by Partridge & Taber. The first melodeon made 
was a four-octave melodeon, held in the lap, with two 
rows of keys, sharps and flats. The round keys were 
pushed in like the keys upon small concertinas. The 
sharp keys had black rings painted on the ivory. The 
melodeon was held in the lap, and, while the keys were 
operated by the hands, the elbows worked the bellows. 
These instruments were greatly enlarged until they were 
put upon legs and called seraphines, the bellows still being 
worked with the elbows. The cabinet organ is the 
melodeon on a large scale. Modern instruments have the 
exhaust bellows, while the old instruments have the 
pressure bellows. At the beginning this company had 
six hands; Mr. Morse did the tuning, Mr. Farley made the 
reeds, and Mr. Pierson the wood-work. Subsequently, 
in 1852, Pierson & Loring succeeded to the business. 

One of the first melodeon-tops made by this company 
was twenty-two inches long, twelve inches wide, with four 
octaves. The bellows were made in two folds; when the 
wind went out of one fold it came in and filled the other. 
At the New England Fair in 1888 one of these instru- 



192 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

ments, made forty years ago, was shown and operated. 
Taylor & Farley were manufacturing melodeons in 1855, 
and in 1862 harmoniums for parlors, churches and schools. 
In 1865 their factory in Hermon Street was erected. 

In 1856 the Steam Music Company was formed to man- 
ufacture the calliope, an instrument designed to produce 
music by steam — the invention of J. C. Stoddard. 

In June, 1858, E. Harrington & Co., at the Junction 
shop, manufactured melodeon reeds; he was succeeded 
by A. Davis & Co. 

In 1859 the American Steam Music Company was 
located in Estabrook's building and employed twelve 
hands in the manufacture of calliopes and terpsichoreans. 
As was said at the time, "The latter is an entirely new 
thing, and this company has just completed the first one 
as an experiment. Its notes are agreeable and pleasant 
to the ear. The music for these instruments is arranged by 
M. Arbuckle, leader of Fisk's Cornet Band, on the same 
floor." 

In 1860 the calliope was introduced into England. 

The Loring & Blake Organ Company, in 1889 located 
in Union Street, was incorporated in 1868. Messrs. 
Loring & Blake, the founders, were at one time with 
Taylor & Farley Organ Company, and first engaged in 
business in Southbridge Street, in French's building, and 
afterwards moved to the building in Hammond Street, 
which was later burned down and never rebuilt. From 
there they moved to the Adams Block, between Main and 
Southbridge Streets, the site of the Post Office, and also 
hired some rooms of E. S. Stone, their mill work being 
done in Cypress Street. They later occupied a large five- 
story brick factory in Union Street. The lumber used by 
this company came comparatively dry, but they had two 
large dry-houses with a capacity of fifty thousand feet. 



ORGANS 193 

From the dry-houses the lumber passed to the mill-room, 
was cut up into the proper sizes and glued; it then passed 
through the scraping and smoothing machines. This 
company used a machine for carving, which did many 
parts of the work formerly done by hand, although some 
of the work could still be done cheaper by hand than by 
machinery. From the mill-room, with its multiplicity 
of saws and wood-working machinery, the work went to 
the case-room, adjoining which was the tuning-room; 
here the tuner had a set of reeds pitched, from which the 
reeds were fitted for the organ. Formerly the reeds were 
left perfectly straight, but later were bent somewhat, 
which was supposed to give a superior tone. This was a 
return to the earlier practice, as the reeds of the first 
melodeons were made in this way. This company used 
a patent stop motion of its own on its organs. The work 
of the factory was divided into departments; the reeds 
and reed-boards were purchased outside, and put into 
the cases in the factory. The bellows stock was also 
purchased. 

The Taber Organ Company in Hermon Street, in 1889 
— N. H. Ingraham, president, William B. Baker, treasurer, 
— was established in 1872 as the Worcester Organ Com- 
pany. Shortly afterwards, William B. Taber, who had 
been with Loring & Blake Organ Company, bought the 
business, and later, in 1877, the Taber Organ Company 
was formed, starting with fifteen hands, and later em- 
ploying forty. . Their product went all over the world. 
The changes and improvements made in organ-building, 
have, for the most part, been in the styles of cases, in 
couplers and tremolos — the change in the latter having 
been from the valve to the fan tremolo. 

The company in 1889 known as the Worcester Organ 
Company, was a continuation of the business formerly 



194 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

conducted by E. P. Carpenter, which later included the 
manufacture of pianos. The manufacture of organ-reeds, 
while closely connected with the manufacture of organs, 
was a distinct business. Previous to 1846 reeds were made 
by hand. About that time Jeremiah Carhart, of New 
York, devised machinery for making the organ-reed to be 
used with exhaust bellows, which he had invented and 
patented. Redding & Harrington, of Worcester, also 
devised a machine for making the reeds. A. H. Hammond 
bought a one-third interest in this business, and finally, 
all of it. The Hammond shop, in 1889 located in May 
Street, then did a large domestic and foreign business, 
and employed two hundred hands. 

George W. Ingalls & Co., then in Hermon Street, man- 
ufactured organ reeds and reed-boards, Parker tremolos 
and octave couplers and fan tremolos. 

The Munroe Organ Reed Company was established in 
1860. It was incorporated in 1869 with a capital of 
$13,300, and employed ten men. In 1875 the capital was 
increased to $60,000, and in 1878 they added to the manu- 
facture of reeds that of automatic instruments ; after that 
they employed something like two hundred and fifty men 
at one time. In 1879 they moved to the location in Union 
Street, occupied by them in 1889, now occupied by S. 
Porter & Co., where they had the most complete facilities 
and most ingenious machinery for the prosecution of 
their business. They used from one hundred and fifty 
thousand to two hundred thousand pounds of sheet brass 
per year, from which the rough frame-work of the reed 
was punched; it was then planed and milled; the reed 
grooved and the tongue securely fastened in place by 
machinery; another machine lettered the reeds, of which 
fifteen thousand were manufactured daily. The reed- 
boards were made of the best Michigan quartered pine. 



SIMPLEX PLAYER 195 

The places for the reeds were cut in the reed-boards by 
machinery. The product of this company went all over 
the world. The export business amounted to $100,000 
per year. Most of these companies are no longer in 
business. 

The Simplex Player Action Company was started by 
Theodore P. Brown in 1899 in a small factory located on 
the corner of Commercial and Central streets. The instru- 
ment made at that time was known as a Cabinet Player, 
and was one of the first put upon the market. The Sim- 
plex Player Action Company was organized as a corpora- 
tion in 1905, and after a few years in quarters on May 
Street, was permanently located at Blackstone and 
Charles Streets in buildings purchased at that time. 
The player industry is new, but the business has 
been one of growth from the beginning, and is today 
showing a very large percentage of the total output of 
pianos in this country, being estimated as about fifty 
per cent. The business has developed from that of an 
Outside or Cabinet Player to mechanism installed within 
the piano case and known to the trade as a " Player piano" 
in distinction from the " Piano player." The business 
employs about one hundred and fifty skilled employees, 
a large number of whom are Swedes. The officers of the 
company are : Theodore P. Brown, president and treasur- 
er; E. N. Kimball, Boston, C. C. Conway, New York 
City, directors. The capital stock is $125,000. 

Envelopes were first used in England between 1830 and 
1839, but only in a very limited way, as the use of an 
envelope called for double postage, the law then being 
that postage should be charged for the number of pieces 
of paper. This explains the custom, then prevailing, of 
folding the letter-sheet to make it answer the purpose 
of an envelope. 



196 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The Penny Post was established in 1840 by Sir Rowland 
Hill, and a demand for envelopes was at once created. 
Up to this time, and for several years after, all the envel- 
opes used were cut by hand ; each stationer had blank 
patterns of several sizes of envelopes, and with the aid 
of a sharp penknife cut the blanks three or four at a 
time. On rainy days these blanks were folded and stuck 
together in the form of envelopes. There were, in this 
country, within twenty-five years, stationers in business 
who in early life made in this way all the envelopes sold 
in their stores. The first machine for making envelopes 
was invented about 1840 by Edwin Hill, a brother of Sir 
Rowland Hill, the father of penny postage. 

Worcester has taken a foremost place in the develop- 
ment of the manufacture of machine-made envelopes. 
The third United States patent on a machine for making 
envelopes was issued to Dr. Russell L. Hawes, of this city, 
in 1853; the two preceding patents were upon machines 
of no practical value, so that it may fairly be said that 
the first successful machine in the United States for mak- 
ing envelopes was invented and patented by a Worcester 
man and built in the city of Worcester. Dr. Hawes was 
then agent for Goddard & Rice, and saw in New York 
some hand-made envelopes, very likely made by a Pole 
named Karcheski, who is said to have made the first 
hand-made envelopes in this country. 

Dr. Hawes thought he could make envelopes by ma- 
chinery, and, returning to Worcester, built a machine in 
the shop of Goddard & Rice, which was subsequently 
patented. The blank for the envelope was first cut out 
by a die, then the sealing flap was gummed, the envelope 
blanks being spread out, one overlapping the other, and 
the gum applied with an ordinary brush. When the gum 
was dry the blanks were introduced into the folding- 



ENVELOPES 197 

machine, which was a self-feeder, and in this Dr. Hawes 
applied the principle which is used on every successful 
envelope machine in existence. Up to this time all at- 
tempts at making envelopes by machinery had dealt 
only with the folding of the envelope, the blanks being 
fed to the machine by hand. Dr. Hawes went a step 
farther, and attached a feeding device to his folding 
machine. The blanks, having been cut and gummed on 
one edge, were fed to the machine in bunches of five hun- 
dred; gum was applied to the under side of the picker, 
which descended on top of the pile of blanks; the top 
blank adherred to the picker and by it was lifted to the 
carriage, which conveyed it under the plunger by which 
the blank was forced into the folding-box. Small wings 
then folded over the flaps of the envelope and the gum by 
which the blank had been elevated to the carriage now 
performed a second office, that is, sticking the envelope 
together. The envelopes thus made by Dr. Hawes were 
sold to Jonathan Grout. 

It required the services of one girl to attend the machine, 
while it took half the time of another girl to spread the 
gum on the sealing-flaps, so that three girls could produce 
a finished product of about twenty-five thousand envel- 
opes in ten hours. Thinking the machine had reached 
its maximum product, Dr. Hawes, who meantime had 
moved to the factory of T. K. Earle Manufacturing 
Company in Grafton Street, sold out, in 1857, to Harts- 
horn & Trumbull (Charles W. and George F. Hartshorn 
and Joseph Trumbull), who were succeeded in 1861 by 
Trumbull, Waters & Co. (Joseph Trumbull and Lucius 
Waters.) In 1866 Hill, Devoe & Co. succeeded to the 
business. W. H. Hill, the proprietor in 1889, was succeeded 
in 1892 by The W. H. Hill Envelope Co., which in 1898 
became the W. H. Hill Envelope Co. division of the United 
States Envelope Co. 



198 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The principal improvements made in machinery have 
been in increasing the capacity, and with that, improving 
the quality of the manufacture, as the envelopes made 
on the old machines would not now be considered saleable. 

In 1889 one girl attending two machines could produce 
seventy thousand envelopes in ten hours. W. H. Hill 
owned the patents on his machines, which had been 
assigned to him by the inventor, in his employ, Abraham 
A. Rheuton, who did much to contribute to improvements 
in envelope machinery. The Reay machine was used in 
this establishment. This was the invention of George H. 
Reay, of New York, and was patented in 1863. From 
one hundred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty 
hands were employed in this factory in 1889. 

The next Worcester man to make valuable improve- 
ments in envelope machinery was James G. Arnold, who, 
in 1858, devised a machine for cutting the material for 
an envelope from a roll of paper, which also gummed and 
folded the envelope complete in one operation. He 
introduced into this machine the drying chain. By this 
invention, the gum, which theretofore had been applied 
to the sealing-flap with a brush, was applied to the envel- 
ope by the machine, and after the machine had folded the 
envelopes they were deposited in this drying chain, or 
endless belt with fingers, the envelopes being kept separate 
while the gum on the envelopes was drying. This prin- 
ciple is a feature in nearly all envelope machinery of the 
present day, excepting the machines invented by D. W. 
and H. D. Swift. While Mr. Arnold's machine was not 
a practical success, it had in it the foundation principles 
upon which the success of the self-gumming envelope 
machine depends. 

In 1864 G. Henry Whitcomb came into possession of 
the Arnold machines, and under the name of Bay State 



ENVELOPES 199 

Envelope Co., began the business of envelope-making on 
the second Arnold machine, in a small building in School 
Street, where the engine-house now stands. In 1865 he 
removed to the north corner of Main and Walnut Streets, 
where he remained until January, 1866, when here moved 
to Bigelow Court ; he was then making one hundred thou- 
sand envelopes per day. This factory was the first building 
in the United States used exclusively for the manufacture 
of envelopes. At that time David Whitcomb sold out 
his interest in the hardware store of Calvin Foster, and 
joined his son, the firm being G. Henry Whitcomb & Co. 

In 1873 the business was moved into the present fac- 
tory in Salisbury Street, additions to which were built in 
1878 and in 1886. In 1884 the firm became a corporation 
known as the Whitcomb Envelope Company. The 
machines used were built on their own premises, and the 
patents upon them were owned by the company. The 
machines were the invention of D. W. & H. D. Swift, 
who, in 1871, built one upon an entirely new principle, 
capable of making thirty-five thousand envelopes in ten 
hours. In 1876 the Messrs. Swift invented their first 
self-gumming machine. A girl could run two of these 
machines, making seventy thousand envelopes in ten 
hours. The product was automatically registered, these 
being at that time the only machines in the world with a 
clock attachment. 

Besides the invention of four distinct envelope ma- 
chines, the Messrs. Swift patented an automatic printing- 
press, for printing envelopes. The blanks were fed to the 
machines in three or four thousand lots, picked up singly 
by the air-feed, and carried into the press, where they 
received the impression. They were then discharged on 
the opposite side of the machine and piled up, ready for 
the envelope folding machine. The construction of this 



200 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

press was very simple. It had a stop-motion attach- 
ment, and was so delicately adjusted that a single hair 
stretched across the attachment would spring the let-off 
motion and the press would stop. Seven presses, each 
capable of producing thirty thousand impressions in 
ten hours, could be run by a man and girl, making a 
total of two hundred thousand impressions with only 
two operatives. The great efficiency of this machine will 
be appreciated when it is considered that eleven thousand 
to twelve thousand impressions was a large day's work for 
an operative on an ordinary job press. 

One hundred and fifty hands were, in 1889, employed in 
the Whitcomb Envelope Factory. Their daily product 
was one million envelopes, with a capacity of double that 
amount. To illustrate the efficiency of the Swift machine 
owned by the Whitcomb Envelope Company, it may 
be said that Herman Schott, the largest envelope-maker 
in Germany; Alexander Pirie & Son, Aberdeen, Scotland, 
then the largest envelope-makers in the world; and Fen- 
ner & Appleton, of London, then one of the largest envel- 
ope-makers in England, several years prior to 1889 
equipped their factories with the Swift machine. 

In December, 1882, James Logan left the Whitcomb 
Envelope Co., and with George H. Lowe, of Boston, organ- 
ized the Logan & Lowe Envelope Co., and began the 
manufacture of envelopes in Stevens block on South- 
bridge Street. Soon after the Whitcomb Company 
invited Mr. Logan to return and enter the firm. 
At the same time Carter, Rice & Co., of Boston, made 
overtures to Mr. Lowe to return to them and enter 
the firm. In August, 1883, the arrangements were com- 
pleted and the partnership of Logan & Lowe Envelope 
Co. was dissolved. Differences arising in connection 
with the reorganization of the Whitcomb Company, Mr. 



ENVELOPES 201 

Logan decided not to enter the firm. He, with H. D. & 
D. W. Swift and John S. Brigham withdrew from the 
service of The Whitcomb Co. and on Feb. 1, 1884, organ- 
ized the Logan, Swift & Brigham Envelope Co., and be- 
gan the manufacture of envelopes in the factory at No. 
16 Union Street, now owned and occupied by the Wire 
Goods Co. In 1889 the Logan, Swift & Brigham Envel- 
ope Co. having outgrown its quarters at 16 Union Street, 
began the erection of a factory at the corner of Grove, 
Faraday and Lancaster Streets, into which they moved 
in 1890. The business continued to grow and in 1897 the 
addition on Lancaster Street and in 1907 a still larger 
addition was made to the plant. 

August 18, 1898, the United States Envelope Company 
was organized. It was made up of ten of the leading 
envelope manufacturing companies of the country. It 
was incorporated under the laws of Maine and had an 
authorized capital of $4,000,000 of preferred stock, all 
of which has been issued, and $1,000,000 common stock 
of which $750,000 has been issued. It had also an issue 
of $2,000,000 in six per cent bonds. Of the ten companies, 
three, The W. H. Hill Envelope Co., the Whitcomb En- 
velope Co., and the Logan, Swift and Brigham Envelope 
Co., were of Worcester; James Logan, Charles W. Gray, 
of the Hill Company; C. Henry Hutchins, G. Henry 
Whitcomb and D. Wheeler Swift were members of the 
Board of Directors; C. H. Hutchins, of Worcester, was 
president and James Logan, chairman of the Executive 
Committee. 

The Emerson, Lowe & Barber Co., a Massachusetts 
corporation with a capital stock of $15,000, was organ- 
ized in 1889, and located at the corner of Foster & Bridge 
Streets, where it still remains. The officers of the com- 
pany were Everett M. Lowe, president; W. B. Emerson, 



202 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

secretary; and Geo. D. Barber, treasurer. In 1893 Messrs. 
Lowe and Emerson withdrew from the business and the 
Worcester Envelope Co., a new Massachusetts corporation 
with a capital stock of $38,000, was formed, which purchas- 
ed the entire assets of the Emerson, Lowe and Barber Co. 
The officers of the new corporation were Henry S. Pratt, 
president; E. P. Waterhouse, secretary; and Geo. D. 
Barber, treasurer. The officers at present are: E. P. 
Waterhouse, president; John N. Barber, secretary; and 
Geo. D. Barber, treasurer. The capitalization of the 
company remains the same. 

In the fall of 1898 John A. Sherman, who had for 
about thirteen years been the Superintendent of the Whit- 
comb Envelope Company, organized the Sherman En- 
velope Co. In December, 1899, or January, 1900, he 
started to build envelope machines in the old bicycle 
factory owned by H. H. Bigelow on the corner of Winona 
& Nebraska Streets. February 1, 1900, the business was 
incorporated with a capital of $50,000. In April the man- 
ufacture of envelopes was begun on the upper floor of 
the building. On February 1, 1901, the business was 
moved to the corner of Union and School Streets, into 
the Geo. C. Whitney building. On February 1, 1907, the 
company moved into its new factory, which was erected 
during the year 1906 and 1907 on the corner of Prescott 
and Otis Streets. The incorporators and the first direc- 
tors were J. H. Clark, Otis E. Putnam, Frank H. Bige- 
low, Walter H. Davis and John A. Sherman. The capital 
stock was increased to $75,000. 

The New England Envelope Co., a Massachusetts 
corporation, was organized December 8, 1906, with 
capital $35,000 which was increased to $60,000 in 1908, 
and is located at 2-16 Eden Street, Worcester. The direc- 
tors are: Charles W. Gray, Willard C. Poole, Henry H. 



ENVELOPES 203 

Hayes, George F. Brooks, Frank L. MacNeill; and the 
officers: Charles W. Gray, president; Willard C. Poole, 
vice-president; Henry H. Hayes, secretary and treasurer. 
C. W. Gray was for many years the manager of the W. 
H. Hill Envelope Co. Mr. MacNeill was for many years 
with that division of the United States Envelope Co. 

On September 1, 1914, a partnership consisting of 
August C. Meyer, Sidney M. Scott and Frederick V. 
Hugo was formed, under the name of the Colonial 
Envelope Company. The object of the partnership was 
the manufacture of papeteries, paper boxes, envelopes, 
and to do all kinds of printing, etc. The company was 
operated by the three above named until December 21, 
1914, when Sidney M. Scott and Frederick V.Hugo bought 
out the interests of August C. Meyer and were incorpo- 
rated under the same name and took as an associate 
Harry L. Scott. The amount of capital was $25,000. 
Sidney M. Scott is president, Frederick V. Hugo is 
treasurer, and Clarence E. Tupper, temporary clerk. The 
location was 68 Prescott Street and now is 4 Cherry Street. 

It is apparent that Worcester has been most promi- 
nently identified with the inception and development of 
machine-made envelopes. The most important contribu- 
tions that have been made to this art have come from Dr. 
Hawes, Mr. Arnold, Mr. Rheutan and the Messrs. Swift, 
and their associates, who have collectively taken out 
many patents. Several of the pioneers in the business 
are no longer living. W. H. Hill died January 30, 1892. 
John S. Brigham died February 19, 1897. D. Wheeler 
Swift died June 14, 1910. A. A. Rheutan died March 15, 
1913. G. Henry Whitcomb died February 13, 1916. 



204 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



CHAPTER VII 

Fire- Arms — Iron and Steel Business — Screws — Steam-Engines — Boilers. 

Harding Slocomb, December 6, 1820, notifies his friends 
that he has established his business as gunsmith in Wor- 
cester, opposite Jeremiah Robinson's drug store, a few- 
rods south of the Court-House, where he manufactures 
twist and straight rifles, fowling-pieces, and has musket- 
guns and pistol flints for sale. These fire-arms were, of 
course, all made with the old flint-lock. At this time Asa 
Waters (2d) had a gun factory in Millbury, where he made 
government arms. Ware & Wheelock, at the top of Front 
Street, opposite the City Hall, in 1825, manufactured 
guns, and in 1833 Joseph S. Ware and John R. Morse 
were established in Main Street, where guns, rifles, 
fowling-pieces and muskets were made to order. 

Ethan Allen was identified with this business from an 
early day up to the time of his death, and contributed 
very largely to improvements in methods and machinery. 
Mr. Allen was born in Bellingham, Mass., in 1810, where 
he received a common school education. His first me- 
chanical employment was in a machine shop in the town 
of Franklin. In 1831 he was engaged in manufacturing 
shoe cutlery in Milford, and in 1832 moved to what was 
then known as New England Village, in the town of 
Grafton, where he commenced the manufacture of the 
Lambert Cane gun, in connection with shoe cutlery. 
This was the beginning of the fire-arms business which he 
prosecuted so successfully thereafter. 

In 1833 he built a shop, which he occupied for some 
time for the manufacture of fire-arms and shoe-kit; this 
was standing in 1889 and used for manufacturing purposes. 



ETHAN ALLEN 205 

In 1834 Mr. Allen manufactured the saw-handle target 
rifle pistol, and it is said that in 1835 he took one of these 
pistols to New York, and showed it to a Mr. Speis, who 
was engaged in selling fire-arms, and asked if there would 
be any demand for such an article. Mr. Speis looked at 
the pistol, and said: "Do you make these?" Mr. Allen 
replied, ' ' Yes. " " What is your price?" Mr. Allen named 
it. "Why don't you ask twice as much?" was the reply; 
"I will take all you can make." Thus encouraged, Mr. 
Allen returned to New England Village and began to 
make the pistols. Soon after he invented the self-cock- 
ing revolver, which was widely known at that period, and 
subsequently during the Mexican War and the California 
gold discoveries, during which time the business was most 
prosperous and profitable. As a gold-miner, Mark Twain 
in "Roughing It," gives an amusing description of his 
experience with this self-cocking revolver, and the degree 
of skill in marksmanship which he had acquired by con- 
stant practice. "There was," he says, "no safe place in 
all the region round about." On one occasion he brought 
down a cow fifty yards to the left of the target, when an in- 
terested spectator persuaded him to purchase the carcass. 
About 1837 Mr. Allen took into partnership his brother- 
in-law, Charles Thurber, who remained in business with 
him until 1856, when the firm was dissolved, Mr. Thur- 
ber retiring. Early in the fifties he associated with him- 
self another brother-in-law, T. P. Wheelock, who died 
in 1863, the firm being Allen & Wheelock. In 1842 the 
company moved to Norwich, Conn., where they carried 
on the manufacture of fire-arms. In 1847 they came to 
Worcester and located in Merrifield's building, where 
they remained until the great fire of 1854. Immediately 
after, they erected a shop at the Junction, in 1889 
occupied by the L. D. Thayer Manufacturing Company 



206 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

and the Worcester Elevator Company, where the busi- 
ness was for some years prosecuted by them and their 
successors. The removal from Norwich was the practical 
beginning of the fire-arms business in Worcester; since 
which time it has been a most important industry. 
Previous to that date there was nothing that could prop- 
erly be called a manufactory; there were a few small 
shops, but nothing more. 

In 1865, subsequent to the death of Mr. Wheelock, Mr. 
Allen took into partnership his two sons-in-law, S. 
Forehand and H. C. Wadsworth, under the name of 
Ethan Allen & Company, and so continued until the 
death of Mr. Allen, January, 1871; after that, the busi- 
ness was continued by the surviving partners, under the 
firm name of Forehand & Wadsworth. After 1883 the 
business was carried on by Mr. Forehand, and after 1876 
was located in the Stone shop at the Junction, known as 
the Old Tainter Mill. After the death of Mr. Forehand 
the business was sold to the Hopkins and Allen Arms Co., 
of Norwich, Conn. 

Mr. Allen was a mechanic and inventor of superior 
capacity. He invented a doubled-barreled breech-loading 
sporting gun, and was probably the first to use steel 
shells in connection with such an arm; these shells could 
be re-loaded indefinitely. He was the pioneer, in this 
country, in the manufacture of double-barreled shot 
guns and fowling-pieces. Between 1855 and 1858 a change 
was made from the system of muzzle-loading to breech- 
loading fire-arms, although the breech-loading system 
had been adopted in Europe before that date, and, at the 
same time, the change was made from loose to fixed 
ammunition. 

Allen & Wheelock were among the first to adopt the 
breech-loading system and to introduce the metallic 



FIRE ARMS 207 

cartridge. Neither in this country nor in Europe had 
metallic cartridges been made except by hand — a slow 
and most tedious process. Mr. Allen recognized the ne- 
cessity of making the metallic cartridges by machinery, 
and invented and patented the first set of machinery that 
was ever built for that purpose. The heading-machine, 
which in 1889 was used by every manufacturer of metallic 
cartridges in the world, was his invention, and has stood 
the test of litigation. Prior to this, no one, so far as is 
known, had conceived of any process of forming the head 
except by spinning it up in a lathe. 

At the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 the Govern- 
ment exhibited a set of this machinery, and there was 
nothing in the Mechanical Exhibition which attracted 
more attention. The whole process, from beginning to 
end, was the product of Mr. Allen's brain. Probably no 
fire-arms manufacturer in the country made so great 
a variety of arms as he: from the whale bomb-lance to 
the cheap Fourth of July pistol, and every variety of 
fowling-piece. Formerly all work was done with the file, 
cold chisel and anvil, but methods have greatly improved, 
until now there is no finer work done than what is popu- 
larly spoken of as "gun work." The parts are all inter- 
changeable and made with the greatest nicety. 

Charles Thurber, at one time associated with Mr. 
Allen, was a successful teacher in Worcester, and is 
credited with having invented the first type-writing 
machine, which was said to be in existence in 1889. 

Franklin Wesson, after his return from California, 
in 1859, began to manufacture fire-arms in Merrifield's 
building in Exchange Street. The first arm he manu- 
factured was a single-shot breech-loading pocket pistol 
using a cartridge. Mr. Wesson, during the war, manu- 
factured twenty thousand stands of arms for the Govern- 



208 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

ment. In 1889 he manufactured long range, short range, 
sporting rifles and pocket pistols. 

Frank Copeland, 17 Hermon Street, established a 
manufactory for fire-arms in 1863; he was formerly in the 
employ of Allen & Wheelock, at their old shop at the Junc- 
tion. He first manufactured revolvers, and in 1876 
devised a single-shot breech-loading sporting gun, called 
"The Champion." Mr. Copeland's second gun was a 
single-barreled sporting gun, called the "F. Copeland 
Gun," which was more strongly constructed, better in 
action and capable of standing heavier charges, and 
altogether more durable. 

The Harrington & Richardson Arms Company was 
established in 1871 by F. Wesson and G. H. Harrington, 
under the firm name of Wesson & Harrington, for the 
purpose of manufacturing a shell-ejecting revolver, in- 
vented and patented by Mr. Harrington. The business 
was located at 18 Manchester Street, in the building 
owned and used by Mr. Wesson as a rifle factory, a busi- 
ness in which he had been engaged for many years. This 
firm continued until 1874, when Mr. Wesson's interest 
was purchased by Mr. Harrington, who soon afterward 
formed a copartnership with William A. Richardson, 
under the firm name of Harrington & Richardson, and 
the manufacture of the same style of revolver was con- 
tinued. This revolver, which was the starting point 
of the present business, was an improvement in con- 
venience over any other then made, being so constructed 
as to load and have the exploded shells removed by the 
sliding ejector, without detaching the cylinder or remov- 
ing any portion of the arm. It is believed to have been 
the first successful shell-ejector used on a metallic cartridge 
revolver. It had a large sale for a number of years. Vari- 
ous other styles of revolvers have been added and im- 



FIRE ARMS 209 

provements made and patented from time to time. In 
the fall of 1876 the business was removed from Manches- 
ter Street to the more commodious quarters, 31 Hermon 
Street. Here new and improved machinery and appliances 
were introduced and additional room occupied. 

In 1880 Messrs. Harrington & Richardson became the 
sole licensees in the United States for the manufacture 
of the celebrated Anson & Deeley hammerless gun, an 
English invention. This was a high cost arm, ranging in 
price from eighty-five to three hundred dollars. The 
manufacture of this gun was continued for about five 
years. In January, 1888, Harrington & Richardson dis- 
solved their copartnership, and reorganized as a stock 
company, with the following officers : Gilbert H. Harring- 
ton, president; William A. Richardson, treasurer; George 
F. Brooks, secretary. 

The business of the company until 1899 was the 
manufacture of revolving fire-arms exclusively, which 
were produced of various styles and of different prices, 
from the plain, substantial, solid frame arm, from which 
the cylinder is removed by the withdrawal of the centre- 
pin upon which it revolves, to the more elaborate hinge- 
frame revolver, employing the automatic shell-ejecting 
system, by which all the exploded shells are thrown out 
automatically by the act of opening the arm for reloading. 
All the arms manufactured by the company have a high 
reputation for quality, beauty of appearance and reliabil- 
ity. Very few persons not practically acquainted with 
this business have any idea of the amount and nicety of 
machinery and special tools and appliances required, 
and, where revolvers are produced in large numbers, of 
the care and close inspection necessary to maintain a 
high standard. If one would undertake to manufacture 
a new revolver of good quality and the average intricate 



210 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

construction, and were already provided with all 
machinery that can be purchased of machine tool builders, 
adapted to this business, it would require a year to con- 
struct one small revolver, and make the tools and appli- 
ances necessary to produce the arm in quantities and of 
good quality. 

Upon the death of Gilbert H. Harrington, June 22, 
1897, William A. Richardson was elected president and 
Mr. Harrington's interest was divided equally between 
his two sons, Edwin C. Harrington and John W. Harring- 
ton. Upon the death of Mr. Richardson, on November 
21, 1897, Edwin C. Harrington was elected president and 
George F. Brooks, treasurer. 

In 1893-94, a new factory was built on Park Avenue, 
corner of Chandler Street, main buildings one hundred 
and eighty feet by fifty feet, five stories high, commodious 
engine and boiler rooms, and case-hardening building, 
with a main tower twenty-eight feet by thirty-seven feet. 
Toward the close of the year, 1899, it was decided to 
manufacture single barrel shot guns. A model was made, 
for which tools were gotten out and the first guns were 
placed on the market in May, 1900. It was found neces- 
sary to build an addition of sixty feet, three stories high, 
to use exclusively for the gun business. In 1901, another 
building was added ninety feet long, fifty feet wide, and 
five stories high, with a tower twenty-eight feet by thirty- 
seven feet, connecting with the tower of the same dimen- 
sions of the building built in 1893. In 1904 the machinery 
of John P. Lovell Company, of Portland, Maine, was 
purchased, and as that Company had manufactured the 
Bean's Improved Handcuffs, their manufacture was 
continued. The product of the Harrington & Richard- 
son Arms Co. now includes double action revolvers, both 
solid frame and automatic, shell-ejecting, single barrel 



FIRE ARMS 211 

shotguns, and handcuffs. The Company employs five 
hundred and eighty hands. In March, 1878, the number 
was thirty-five. The product is shipped to almost every 
civilized country on the globe and the export business is 
increasing every year. 

Iver Johnson & Company, established in 1871, were 
located at 44 Central Street, and employed two hundred 
hands. Their products were air pistols, guns, revolvers 
and other arms; ice and roller skates. This company 
moved to Fitchburg in 1891. 

January 30, 1856, notice is found of a new rifle invented 
by B. F. Joslyn, the manufacture of which was controlled 
by Eh Thayer. It was claimed to be superior to the 
"Sharpe rifle," both on account of the rapidity of its load- 
ing and the simplicity, safety and cheapness of its con- 
struction. In March, 1859, the Spy said that Mr. Joslyn 
and Mr. Freeman, of New York, had purchased the large 
stone shop at South Worcester, where they expected to 
commence the manufacture of pistols under Joslyn's 
patent at an early day; and, in 1860, the War Depart- 
ment ordered from Mr. Joslyn one thousand of his rifles, 
which up to that time was the largest single order for 
fire-arms ever given to one contractor in the country. 
The Navy Department had previously ordered five 
hundred. 

In April, 1861, they were busy day and night at the 
Lower Junction shop manufacturing Joslyn' s breech- 
loading carbines for the War Department. Fort Sumter 
had then been fired upon and the demand for arms be- 
came pressing. All the iron-working establishments in 
the city were busy furnishing the Government with ord- 
nance. Nathan Washburn was making five tons of rifle- 
barrel iron per day for the Springfield Armory, and was 
under contract to furnish one hundred thousand musket 



212 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

barrels. Osgood Bradley was at work on gun-carriages and 
forges. Wood & Light were busy making machinery for the 
government at Springfield Armory. November, 1861, Shep- 
ard, Lathe & Co. were under contract for Colt, the Burnside 
factory and Springfield Armory. Allen & Wheelock had 
two hundred hands at work for the government and pri- 
vate parties. L. W. Pond was building twenty light 
rifle-cannon of his invention, called the " Ellsworth 
Gun," at the shop of Goddard, Rice & Co. This was a 
" breech-loading rifle-gun, four feet long, six inches in 
diameter at the breech and 3J^ at the muzzle, with a \ x /i 
inch bore, carrying a chilled conical ball weighing eighteen 
ounces, which it would throw three miles. The gun 
weighed, carriage and all, four hundred and fifty pounds. 
Cost, three hundred and fifty dollars." 

July 11, 1862, a patent was granted to Theodore R. 
Timby, of Worcester, for improvements in a revolving 
battery-tower and improvements for discharging guns 
by electricity. Joslyn's breech-loading carbines were in 
high favor at this time with the government. 

In 1862, Ball & Williams, in School Street, employed 
one hundred men in the manufacture of the Ballard 
rifle, — a cavalry rifle which they continued to make until 
the close of the war. This was a breech-loading arm, 
using a .42 metallic cartridge, and the invention of Mr. 
Ballard, who had been a foreman for them. 

December 29, 1862, the invention of Stevens' Platoon- 
gun, invented by W. X. Stevens, of Worcester, was 
noticed. In April, 1863, Charles S. Coleman invented a 
breech-loading gun. September 6, 1865, the Green Rifle 
Works was at the Junction shop. January 15th, Ethan 
Allen & Co. were making from twenty thousand to fifty 
thousand cartridges per day. 



CAR WHEELS— RAILS 213 

Nathan Washburn, at one time, worked for William A. 
Wheeler as a journeyman founder, and while in his employ 
invented a car-wheel, which he patented in 1852. In 
company with Mr. Converse, of his native town of Tol- 
land, Conn., Mr. Washburn began the manufacture of 
these wheels in Franklin Street, next to Bradley's car 
shop, and continued there until 1857, when the new 
building was erected near the freight depot of the Western 
Railroad, since occupied by Washburn Iron Company, 
and later by the Worcester Steel Works. The building, 
as designed, was to be occupied in part by Nathan Wash- 
burn as an iron-foundry for the manufacture of car- 
wheels; the main building was to contain machinery for 
re-rolling iron rails and for making locomotive tires, while 
the western end was to be occupied by Henry S. Wash- 
burn for a rolling-mill and a wire factory. Meantime 
George W. Gill became associated with Nathan Wash- 
burn in the rail and tire business, and very likely sug- 
gested engaging in it; for he had been employed as fore- 
man and contractor in charge of the iron work upon 
the cars built in Mr. Bradley's shop, where he must 
have become more or less familiar with the railroad busi- 
ness. Previous to the introduction of the wrought-iron 
rail, rails were made of wood, with flat bar-iron on the 
upper surface; when the rails were loosened, the ends, 
called " snakes' heads," were often forced up through the 
car-bottoms, to the great discomfort and danger of the 
passengers. Mr. Gill was born in West Boylston, and 
learned the blacksmith trade in this city. June 1, 1858, 
he retired from the partnership, but continued with Mr. 
Washburn as manager of the business. 

In 1859 this business had reached considerable propor- 
tions, employing from one hundred and seventy to one 
hundred and ninety hands, and turning out forty tons of 



214 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

iron per day. At this time. Mr. Washburn, in company 
with Canadian capitalists, established a rolling-mill at 
Toronto for re-rolling rails for the Grand Trunk Rail- 
way; he attended to the equipment of the mill, and three 
large steam-hammers were made for it by Wood. Light 
& Company. 

In 1S60 there was but one other establishment in New 
England doing railroad work of this character, and that 
was located at South Boston. The Washburn car-wheel 
was very popular, and there was a good demand for re- 
rolling rails and for locomotive tires. Five hundred 
thousand dollars capital was employed in the business. 
and from two hundred and twenty to two hundred and 
forty men with a pay-roll amounting to seven thousand 
dollars per month. The works extended over four acres 
of ground. In the foundry, one hundred and seventy-five 
feet by sixty feet, forty car-wheels were cast each day 
and eight tons of machinery*. In the rolling- mi ll, two 
hundred and fifty rails weighing forty tons were rolled 
daily, and also four tons of tire for clri^ing wheels, while 
seven puddling furnaces produced twenty tons daily of 
bar or puddled iron. The trip-hammers for working over 
and welding together the worn-out rails were of large 
size, made by Wood. Light & Company, at their shop at 
the Junction, by whom the first set of gun-barrel rolls 
was made in 1860 for Mr. Washburn: these were modeled 
after an English set in the armory at Springfield. 

In 1S64 the Washburn Iron Company was formed, 
with Nathan Washburn, president. George W. Gill, 
manager, and Edward L. Davis, treasurer. In 1564 Mr. 
Washburn went to Europe, and when he returned, brought 
with him an equipment for a small Bessemer plant of 
about one ton capacity, which he partially built but 
never completed. This must have been one of the earliest 



CAR WHEELS 215 

attempts in this country to erect a plant for the manu- 
facture of Bessemer steel, as the first steel actually made 
was at Wyandotte, Mich., in the fall of 1864. 

In 1865, Mr. Washburn sold out his interest to his as- 
sociates and built the works in Grafton Street, later 
occupied by the Washburn Car Wheel Company, where 
he continued the business of manufacturing car-wheels 
until about 1866, when he sold out his wheel business to 
the Washburn Iron Company, and engaged in the manu- 
facture of steel tire car-wheels, and later started a foundry 
in Hartford to be run in connection with the Worcester 
shop. Mr. Washburn sold out his interest the same year 
altogether, but the business continued under the name of 
the Washburn Car Wheel Company, the product being 
locomotive truck and tender wheels. He then went to 
Allston, and remained until about 1887. In 1889 he 
was engaged at South Boston perfecting a new solid 
cast Bessemer wheel. After leaving Allston, his plant 
was leased by Jonas S. Hart & Co.; it was burned down, 
later re-built, and in 1889 was occupied for the manu- 
facture of wheels by the late Samuel D. Nye, under 
the firm-name of Jonas S. Hart & Co. Mr. Nye had been 
connected with this business since 1859, having been as- 
sociated with Mr. Washburn at that time and was with 
his successors in the business until the spring of 1888, 
when he resigned his position as manager of the Wor- 
cester Steel business and removed to Allston. 

The Washburn Iron Company continued the business 
of re-rolling iron rails until 1881, when the demand almost 
entirely ceased by reason of the general adoption of the 
Bessemer steel rails, which resulted in a great saving in 
railroad construction. Iron rails were delivered in Boston 
in the summer of 1868 at eighty-eight dollars per ton of 
two thousand two hundred and forty pounds, while steel 



216 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

rails were delivered in Boston, November, 1888, at thirty- 
dollars per gross ton. In the winter of 1881 they began 
the importation of steel blooms, and in the spring of 1882 
began rolling steel rails. Mr. Gill died April 13, 1882, 
and George M. Rice, of the Rice, Barton & Fales Co., 
then acquired an interest in the business, which was 
managed by the Gill estate until October, 1883, when the 
entire property passed into the hands of Mr. Rice and his 
associates, who organized the Worcester Steel Works. 
The work of rolling steel blooms into rails continued until 
the fall of 1883, when work was begun upon the Bessemer 
steel plant, and the first steel was made in June, 1884. 
Later, an open hearth furnace was put in, and during the 
year 1888 two new trains of rolls were added, modern 
heating furnaces, etc., for the manufacture of merchant 
bars. 

About four hundred men were employed in these works, 
producing two hundred and thirty tons daily, made up of 
rails for steam and horse railroads, blooms, billets and 
shapes, merchant bars and castings. For over thirty 
years this business had a prominent place among the 
industries of Worcester, being at one time the largest 
single industry in the city. It followed the complete 
revolution of the rail business consequent upon the intro- 
duction of Bessemer steel, and in 1889 was equipped with 
all the modern appliances for the production of iron and 
steel. All this followed from the invention of a car- wheel 
in 1852 by Nathan Washburn in the Wheeler foundry in 
Thomas Street. George M. Rice died in 1894. The 
business no longer exists. Part of the land is now occupied 
by the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. 

On July 19, 1809, a patent was granted to AbelStowell for 
cutting wood screws, but no screws appear to have been 
made in Worcester until 1831, when C. Read & Co. 



WOOD AND MACHINE SCREWS 217 

commenced the manufacture of wood screws at North- 
ville, as has been stated in connection with the early- 
history of the wire business. In April, 1836, mention 
is made of a machine for making wood screws, invented 
by C. Read & Co., " which will cut thirty gross of 
screws per day with one pair of dies, and one boy can 
attend from two to four machines, according to the length 
of the screw." The business is then spoken of as growing 
and flourishing, but the parties in interest became dis- 
couraged and the business was moved to Providence, 
where it was originally located, and continued there for a 
time under the name of C. Read & Co., but finally came 
under the control of the company now and for many years 
known as the American Screw Company. 

A. W. Gifford, who, when a boy, was apprenticed to 
parties in Providence, in 1853-54 engaged in making wood 
screws, and later was employed in Worcester by Allen 
& Wheelock in their fire-arms business, and by Ball & 
Williams in making the Ballard rifle for the Government, 
received in 1866 from the Worcester Mechanics' Associa- 
tion a testimonial for a case of milled machine screws, 
which were the first made for the market in the city or 
county, and probably in the State. The Worcester 
Machine Screw Company started in a very small way, 
with a few machines of their own manufacture, made 
after some of Mr. Gifford's designs. Originally, it was a 
copartnership between A. W. Gifford and E. A. Bagley, 
but later Mr. Gifford became and continued to be the sole 
proprietor. 

The machine used in the screw business prior to 1866 
was what was known as the turret-head machine, used 
by gunsmiths, sewing-machine makers, and at the Spring- 
field Armory. This was not well adapted to the class of 
work required of it. Mr. Gifford was the inventor of the 



218 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

machine used by himself and others which superseded it, 
and which remained in use till the introduction of newer 
machinery. The old turret-head machine consisted of a 
revolving traverse spindle, with a dial for holding a 
series of tools. That, in turn, was succeeded by a machine 
invented and patented by Mr. Gifford, September 28, 
1875, and improved December 26, 1876, in which the 
blanks were cut automatically to the length required for 
the screw and fed into the machine, which was so ar- 
ranged that they were simultaneously milled, threaded 
and pointed. The product of this factory went to all 
parts of the country. From eighty to one hundred hands 
were employed, in 1889, and some four hundred tons of 
iron and steel used per annum. In 1889 the factory was 
located at 75 Beacon Street, a brick building, two hun- 
dred and fifty by thirty-six, two stories high, with a base- 
ment under the main building, and a wing forty by thirty- 
six for office and packing room. The steam-power was 
furnished by a one hundred horse-power boiler, and an 
eighty horse-power Corliss engine. Besides his improve- 
ments and patents on screw machinery, Mr. Gifford took 
out patents on small hardware articles, such as tweezers, 
cutlery, etc. 

Since 1889 the Company has added about twenty 
thousand square feet of floor space and much new machi- 
nery, greatly increasing the output. The new machinery 
has all been of an improved type, and is the invention of 
Mr. Gifford, who owned the business up to April first, 
1900. At that time he sold out to the Standard Screw 
Co., a holding Company incorporated under the laws of 
New Jersey, with a capital stock of $1,500,000. The 
Standard Screw Co. at that time took over the properties 
of the Chicago Screw Co., Chicago, 111., and the Detroit 
Screw Works, Detroit, Mich. 



MACHINE SCREWS 219 

In the year following they took over the properties of 
the Lavigne Machine Screw Company, of New Haven, 
and the Pearson Machine Company, of Chicago, 111. 
In 1903, they took over the business of the Illinois Screw 
Company, of Chicago, 111. In March, 1904, they took 
over the properties of the Hartford Machine Screw Com- 
pany, Hartford, Conn., and its western branch, namely, 
the Western Automatic Machine Screw Co., of Elyria, 
Ohio, and increased their capitalization to $4,500,000. 
In December, 1905, they took over the properties of 
the Walker & Ehrman Mfg. Co., of Chicago, 111., and 
now have a very large percentage of the business of the 
country. The officers of the Standard Screw Co. were: 
W. B. Pearson, President, Chicago 111.; E. B. Cadwell, 
First Vice-President, New York City; A. W. Gifford, Sec- 
ond Vice-President, Worcester, Mass.; E. B. Dolliver, 
Treasurer, Worcester, Mass. ; George Thrall, Secretary, 
Detroit, Mich. 

Employment is given to about seventeen hundred 
hands, with a yearly output of about $3,500,000. On the 
death of Mr. Dolliver, July 6, 1910, W. W. Dadmun was 
made manager. In 1913 a three-story building, which 
added approximately twenty-six thousand feet, was 
built. The Standard Screw Company now operates five 
factories, some of the plants acquired having been sold, 
— the Hartford Machine Screw Company, of Hartford, 
Conn. ; the Detroit Screw Works, of Detroit, Mich. ; the 
Chicago Screw Company, of Chicago, 111.; the Western 
Automatic Machine Screw Company, of Elyria, Ohio; 
the Worcester Machine Screw Company, of Worcester. 

Mc Cloud, Crane & Minter, manufacturers of machine 
screws, were located at 57 Union Street. The business 
was purchased in 1872 of James H. Gray, who in 1870 
had bought a patent of Bagley's. Meantime, in March, 



220 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

1869, Mr. Minter started the same business and continued 
up to 1884, when he consolidated with McCloud & Crane, 
and the firm became McCloud, Crane & Minter. Their 
business was milled machine work, standard and machine 
screws, studs for steam-engines, pumps, etc., and machi- 
nists' taps, to which they added finished and case-hard- 
ened nuts. Improvements were made from time to time 
in the machinery, and their capacity constantly increased, 
but the advance was for the most part in the direction 
of turning out an increased quantity from a given number 
of machines, and in the department of thread-cutting. 
Beginning with twelve hands, they employed forty-four 
in 1889. Their iron was purchased in the square, round 
and hexagon, and also in the shape of wire drawn to 
size. Several years ago the business was sold to A. H. 
Anthony and continued under the name of Anthony 
Screw Co. until 1913, when it was discontinued. 

A. A. Bedard & Co., 89 Exchange Street, were also 
engaged in this business in 1889. 

The mills in Worcester depended almost exclusively on 
water or horse-power until 1840. Wm. A. Wheeler is said 
to have had a steam-engine of some sort to run a fan in 
his foundry prior to his removal to Brookfield, and upon 
his return to Worcester, in 1831 or 1832, he abandoned 
this engine and substituted horse-power, which he used 
until 1840, when he put in another engine. Howe & 
Goddard, at the Red Mills, had an engine of some kind 
in 1836. Mr. Wheeler is credited in Bishop's " History of 
American Manufactures," with having the first steam- 
engine employed in the State west of Boston. 

In 1840 Mr. Merrifield put in an engine of from four to 
six horse-power, and probably the first efficient steam- 
engines in Worcester were put in at this time by both 
Mr. Merrifield and Mr. Wheeler. The demand for power 



STEAM ENGINES 221 

was larger than the supply, so that an engine pur- 
chased one year was discarded the next for a larger 
one. Between 1840 and 1850 Mr. Merrifield put in five 
engines. The last one, in 1854, and known as the 
" Lawrence," was in continuous service for forty-six 
years, until January 1, 1900. 

Steam-engines were not manufactured in Worcester 
to any extent until 1864. Wm. A. Wheeler made an en- 
gine in 1842 for Wm. T. Merrifield. 

Jerome Wheelock, at one time engineer of the Washburn 
Iron Works in this city, commenced his business career 
by making and introducing the sectional ring and piston 
packing, patented in 1864, and afterwards extensively 
used in every type and make of engine. Meeting with 
marked success, he completed, in 1865, arrangements for 
its manufacture with William A. Wheeler, of Worcester. 
The demand soon became such that he left the Washburn 
Iron Company, to give his entire attention to the packing 
business. In the fall of 1865, or spring of 1866, he formed 
a partnership with Charles A. Wheeler. This led to a 
considerable repair business, and that in turn led to the 
invention by Mr. Wheelock of several improvements in 
steam-engines. In the fall of 1869, the first engine em- 
bodying these improvements was built; this proved to be 
the beginning of a considerable business. The earlier 
engines of this type were constructed with a single rotary 
valve, which proved imperfect in many respects, but con- 
tained the germ of success. The growth of the packing 
business and the prospect of engine-building occasioned 
the removal to 178 Union Street in 1869, where the busi- 
ness was continued until March, 1890. 

Step by step the Wheelock engine was improved, until 
in 1873, at the American Exhibition in New York, the 
four- valve engine was introduced to the public. This 



222 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

employed the rotary tapered valve, suspended on hard- 
ened steel spindles — a new type of valve, which became 
widely known and used. Mr. Wheelock invented and 
patented numerous improvements relating to the steam- 
engine, such as feed-water heaters, condensers, and 
various details of the Wheelock engine. The building of 
these specialties, together with the piston-packing and a 
large increase in the engine business, required successive 
enlargements, until two floors were occupied, and a force 
of from fifty to seventy-five men employed. During the 
interval from 1873 to 1884 a great number of engines were 
built, including a large proportion of machines of five 
hundred horse-power. In 1883 and 1884 the most im- 
portant of Mr. Wheelock' s inventions was being developed 
and tested, the patents upon which were issued in 1885. 
This was the so-called new system valves, undoubtedly 
at that time the most original and important departure 
in engine construction since the invention of Corliss. This 
well-known valve system had for its main idea the com- 
bining of the valve, valve-seat and operating parts within 
a shell or tapered plug which was driven into a corres- 
ponding hole in the cylinder and retained in place without 
bonnets or bolts. It also employed an entirely novel 
method of driving the valve and combined a number of 
improvements which secured economical results in the 
use of steam. 

Patents were taken out in all the larger manufacturing 
countries of the world, and much of Mr. Wheelock's time 
during the years 1886 and 1887 was spent abroad nego- 
tiating for the manufacture of the new system engine. 
His success was such that it was extensively built in all 
those countries. During his absence his home business 
so greatly declined that in the latter part of 1887 he 
decided to offer it for sale, which resulted in its purchase 



WHEELOCK ENGINE 223 

by a company organized for the purpose of carrying on the 
building of the new system engines. The Wheelock 
Engine Company took possession in January, 1888. 
Edward K. Hill was president and manager, and the late 
Edward F. Tolman was the treasurer of the Company, 
both of the class of 1871, the first class graduated from 
the Polytechnic Institute. 

The Wheelock business was continued in the shop in 
Merrifield Building, Union Street, until March, 1890, 
when it was removed to a new plant on Southgate Street, 
South Worcester. 

In 1896 the company sold its plant and business to a 
successor, the American Wheelock Engine Co., which 
carried on the same until 1902, when the business was 
merged with other interests in the American & British 
Mfg. Co., a New York corporation. Meantime the out- 
put had so increased in number and size of engines that 
the Worcester plant had become inadequate. From 1896 
to 1899, Wheelock engines were being built for the Ameri- 
can Wheelock Engine Co., in Philadelphia, Chicago and 
Milwaukee. The product at Worcester had become a 
small part of the total business. In consequence of this 
condition, the Corliss Steam Engine Co. plant at Provi- 
dence, R. I., was acquired in 1899, and the Worcester 
business was moved to Providence in the spring of that 
year. Since that date the business has continued at the 
Corliss Works under the ownership of the American & 
British Mfg. Co. The product during this time has been 
the George H. Corliss engines as well as the Greene- 
Wheelock engines, the latter being the improved suc- 
cessor of the Wheelock engine. At one time about eight 
hundred men were employed at the Providence works in 
building these engines. 



224 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Edward K. Hill, having in his engineering prac- 
tice, become well acquainted with the Wheelock 
engine, recognized the desirability of some changes 
which would better meet the more exacting conditions 
which the increase in electric lighting and power were 
imposing upon steam engines. This was one of the 
reasons for acquiring the Wheelock business, and soon 
after doing so improvements were adopted which finally 
resulted in a valve gear consisting of a combination of 
the latest inventions of Nathaniel T. Greene, with those 
of Edward K. Hill, and based upon the Wheelock founda- 
tion. This valve gear has been in use since 1895 in all 
Greene- Wheelock engines, a great number of which have 
been built, and are to be found in every section of the 
country and in nearly every state. They have attained, 
at least, an equal rank with the George H. Corliss engines. 

In response to my request my friend, Edward K. Hill, 
has made the following statement of his estimate of the 
contribution of Jerome Wheelock to the development of 
the steam engine: 

The Wheelock Engine as invented, developed and built by 
Jerome Wheelock from its inception in the early sixties until 
1888, embodied several unique features, the most important of 
these being the valve system, although there were others of 
his invention which had real value as essential parts of an 
improved steam engine. This valve system was probably the 
most original in type, and the widest departure from the pre- 
vailing Corliss type, of any of the several successful valve gears 
that have been developed. The exception, if any, was the in- 
ventions of the late Nathaniel T. Greene, of Providence, R. I., 
which were embodied in the Greene Engine, a type that had a 
considerable use in certain localities. 

All automatic cutoff valve gears employ the detachable 
principle, invented, or at least controlled and introduced by 
George H. Corliss. While the Wheelock system necessarily 



WHEELOCK ENGINE 225 

involves the use of that principle, in practically every other 
respect it is as original and unlike the Corliss or any other 
system as a valve gear can well be. This originality was ac- 
knowledged and appreciated by engineers generally. It was 
quite commonly considered that the Wheelock system was 
potentially the most serious rival that the original Corliss 
system ever had. 

A fair idea of the true value of the former system cannot be 
had from the extent of its use in this country for there were 
unfortunate limitations not dependent upon the value of the 
system. It is necessary to take into account the extensive 
adoption by engine builders of other countries where it attained 
greater popularity and proportionally wider use than it did in 
the United States. Under foreign patents there were licensed 
builders in Canada, England and France, concerns of first 
magnitude and high standing, in each case. These builders 
gave a high character to the Wheelock system and built a great 
number of the engines. In Canada they became the most 
prominent type of engine, while in Europe they achieved an 
equality with the Corliss system as a general thing. Numerous 
modifications were adopted in several countries, particularly 
in Germany, where a number of hyphenated Wheelock system 
engines were evolved by builders. 

The English licensees, Daniel Adamson& Co., Manchester, 
built many for export, conspicuous examples being found in the 
great cotton mills of Bombay, India. Geographically the use 
of this system has been as widespread as the Corliss system, 
and had the business in this country had the advantage of the 
character and administrative ability of another George H. 
Corliss, it would probably have ranked only second to that 
famous business in Providence. 

The potential and intrinsic value of the Wheelock engine 
was widely recognized in this country. It's limitations and at- 
tainments as a manufacturing enterprise can be gauged and 
appreciated from the following incident: In 1886-7, the writer 
was engaged in planning changes in the plant of the Crompton 
Loom Works. A new engine was required and Mr. Horace 



226 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Wyman, at that time the head of the business, stated that he 
would have no other than a Wheelock engine provided he could 
have one built under the inspection of his representative. A 
contract was entered into on these terms and an engine built 
under the supervision of the writer, which proved a highly 
satisfactory machine in all respects. It is no small compli- 
ment to the system that so many engines built without such 
supervision, should have given such satisfactory service upon 
the whole. 

The writer regards Mr. Wheelock as having had in his in- 
ventions the ample foundation for one of the largest, most dig- 
nified and creditable enterprises in the city of Worcester in his 
time. Were it not for unfortunate limitations, his name in 
this city could undoubtedly have attained much of the unique 
distinction of that of George H. Corliss in the city of Providence, 
and a second place only, in the country. In the foreign coun- 
tries mentioned his name stands very near the head of the list 
of the world's improvers of the steam engine. 

As an illuminating incident, the following is apropos: 
Soon after the writer had succeeded to the Wheelock business, 
while still occupying the unbelievable shop on Union Street, 
a dark complexioned gentleman was shown into the dingy 
enclosure that served as an office. An extraordinary perplexity 
and dubiousness of countenance and manner of this gentleman 
was explained when it finally came out that he was the East 
Indian representative of Daniel Adamson & Co., British builder 
of the Wheelock engine. As such he had installed many of 
them, notably, several of 2000-3000 horse-power in Bombay 
cotton mills. His admiration of them was such that, planning 
his return to India via United States, a prime object was to 
visit the Wheelock Home Works, in Worcester, Massachusetts, 
where he expected to find a plant commensurate in size and 
equipment with his most natural fancy or with misleading 
statements he may have heard. In fact, he finally stated that 
he expected to see a magnificent plant covering many acres 
and replete with equipment of the best known kind. The writer 
has never had to deal with a man so dumbfounded as this one 



STEAM ENGINES 227 

was when, after a half hour of explanation and assertion he 
became convinced that we were not playing off some Yankee 
trick on him, and that the old rat hole we were in was the cradle 
and home of the great Wheelock Engine. 

E. H. Bellows commenced engine-building in August, 
1864, renting a shop in Merrifleld's building in Exchange 
Street. His specialty was portable engines, ranging from 
the smallest up to forty horse-power. He also built some 
small stationary engines, not exceeding fifteen to twenty 
horse-power. In 1865 Byron Whitcomb became a partner 
in the business, the firm-name being Bellows & Whit- 
comb. The same line of manufacture was continued until 
1868, when the firm was dissolved. 

The Washburn Steam Works were incorporated in 
1867, with George I. Washburn, president. The object of 
the company was to build a novel, high-speed, valveless 
steam-engine, the invention of Mr. Washburn. The chief 
peculiarity of the engine and the essence of the invention 
was in so arranging the pistons of a pair of cylinders that 
each acted as a valve to the other, performing the func- 
tions of inlet and outlet of steam, thus doing away with 
valves. Its arrangement was upright, with twin cylinders, 
each having several pistons on one piston-rod. The move- 
ment of these compound pistons, passing over and by 
suitable ports connecting the cylinders, produced the 
requisite opening and closing for the admission and re- 
lease of the steam. The stroke of these engines was 
proportionally very short, and the rotative speed conse- 
quently great, which features, in connection with the other 
mechanical objections, proved fatal to the success of 
this ingenious invention. 

The business was commenced in 1865, in a small up- 
stairs shop in one of the blocks in Main Street, between 
Park and Southbridge Streets. In the spring of 1869 the 



228 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

works were removed to the Wheeler building, Hermon 
Street, and again, in the spring of 1871, to Central Street. 
The defects of the engines soon becoming apparent, Mr. 
Washburn turned his attention in another direction, the 
outcome of which was the Washburn Steam Pump, 
embodying some of the principles of the engine. The 
manufacture of this pump was begun in the fall of 1868, 
and continued with success for a number of years. A 
serious interruption in the business resulted from the death 
of Mr. Washburn, in the spring of 1871. In 1872, A. 
Burlingame, for four years previous foreman of the Wash- 
burn Steam Works, bought the business and continued 
the manufacture of the Washburn Steam Pumps on 
a considerable scale until 1880, when the change to the 
firm-name, A. Burlingame & Company, was made. 
About this time the attention of the firm was turned 
to steam-engines as a supplement to the pump busi- 
ness, which was suffering from the competition of the 
injector as a boiler feeder. From a general repair business 
they gradually went into building plain slide-valve 
engines up to fifty horse-power, followed by an im- 
proved pattern balanced slide-valve engine, and later 
by a Corliss type engine, each of which was built by this 
firm in a full fine of sizes up to one hundred horse-power. 
Additional to engine building was the making of boiler 
feed-pumps, and the fitting of complete steam plants, 
beside a large general mill-work and repair business. 
The location of the Washburn Steam Works, in Central 
Street, was abandoned by Mr. Burlinganie in 1869, 
when he moved to School Street. During the year 1888, 
he moved to the location in Cypress Street, where the 
A. Burlingame Co. is now located. 

S. E. Harthan began the manufacture of stationary, 
semi-portable and launch engines on a small scale at 44 



BOILERS 229 

Central Street, in the year 1874. Increasing business 
up to 1878-79 required the employment of from twenty 
to forty men, engaged mostly in building engines of small 
power of the types mentioned. In 1882 he sold to the 
Glen Rock Manufacturing Company, of Glen Rock, Pa., 
that portion of the business relating to stationary and 
semi-portable engines, including patterns; after which he 
gave his whole attention to building yacht and launch 
engines, high and low pressure and compound, together 
with complete steam outfits. Becoming engaged in elec- 
tric work, the engine building was gradually abandoned. 
Besides many stationary engines, Mr. Harthan built the 
steam machinery for about fifty-three yachts and launches 
among which was a very fine private yacht for Jacob 
Lorillard, another for Mary Anderson, and one for 
Chauncey Ives, of New York, as well as seven smaller 
boats for Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester. 

Clark & Knight established the business of engine- 
building in 1877. They manufactured upright engines 
up to thirty horse-power. The business was later con- 
ducted by E. 0. Knight. 

Frank Copeland, gunmaker, 17 Hermon Street, made 
in 1889 small vertical steam-engines from one to 
twenty horse-power. 

The Stewart Boiler Works were established in 1864 as 
Stewart & Dillon. The late Charles Stewart learned his 
trade in Hull, England. He came to Worcester first to 
manufacture boilers for Bellows & Whitcomb, who were 
building engines. In 1869, C. Stewart succeeded to the 
business, and prior to 1872 had purchased the boiler busi- 
ness of Rice, Barton & Fales. 

Mr. Stewart and William Allen were in partnership 
from 1872 to 1875, when they dissolved. The business 
has since been conducted by Charles Stewart and C. 



230 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Stewart & Son. Their castings were all made in the city, 
and their boiler-plate from American steel. They manu- 
facture locomotive and stationary boilers. The Plant 
was removed from Union Street to its present location 
on Albany Street and Boston & Albany Railroad, where 
it occupies over two acres of land. The firm is carried on 
by three sons of Charles Stewart, — James C. Stewart, 
John C. Stewart and Charles M. Stewart. In later years 
electric cranes and pneumatic tools have been substituted 
for handwork in the several processes of making boilers, 
tanks, etc. Special types of boilers and some other 
specialties in plate work have been added. 

William Allen & Sons were established in 1875, after 
the dissolution of the partnership between Stewart & 
Allen. They were first situated in Southbridge Street, 
near the Junction, and later removed to the location in 
Green Street, in the old shops of the New York Steam- 
Engine Company. They manufactured all classes of 
steam-boilers, — tubular, locomotive and marine boilers, 
feed-water heaters, bleaching kiers, dye-well extractors 
and iron tanks of all kinds; iron cases for water-wheels 
and boilers for residences ; had an iron and brass-foundry, 
and made their own castings. They occupied a sub- 
stantial brick two-story building, a boiler-shop and foun- 
dry, and sixty thousand feet of land. William Allen was 
an Englishman, and served his apprenticeship at the 
works of James Watt, Birmingham, England. 

The company is now known as Wm. Allen Sons Co., 
proprietors of Worcester Steam Boiler Works, 65 Green 
Street. 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 231 



CHAPTER VIII 

Boots and Shoes — Bigelow Heeling-Machine — Leather Belting — Boot 
and Shoe Machinery — Lasts — Dies. 

From Caleb A. Wall's Reminiscenses we learn that 
Captain Palmer Goulding, a cordwainer, came to Worces- 
ter just previous to the first organization of the town, and 
built a house on the east of the Common, where his son, 
Palmer, Jr., and grandson Daniel afterwards lived. They 
also carried on the business of tanning, shoe-making, 
making malt, curing hams, etc. Their place of business 
was in front of their dwelling, and occupied ground be- 
tween what are now Front, Mechanic, Church and Spring 
Streets. Almost every town had a tanyard, and leather 
of sufficiently good quality was made to serve the needs 
of the shoemakers and saddlers. 

The embargo and War of 1812 greatly stimulated the 
cordwainers, who began to make boots and shoes in 
quantities in anticipation of the wants of their customers, 
and when a few dozen pairs had accumulated, they were 
put in saddle-bags and taken to market, principally 
Bristol, R. I., the first wholesale boot and shoe market 
in the country, it being a sea-port town. At this time the 
bottoms of all boots and shoes were sewed on; putting 
them on with pegs was an invention of a later date, and 
very greatly reduced the cost; this improvement aided 
materially in the development of the industry. Among 
the first to adopt it was Joseph Walker, of Hopkinton, 
Mass. 

The next step in the development of the boot and shoe 
industry was for the makers of leather to sell it to mer- 
chants in the larger towns and cities, who, in turn, sold 



232 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

to the shoemakers, and they, in course of time, paid for 
it out of the product, in boots and shoes, which were sold 
by the leather dealers to the jobbers in Bristol, Providence, 
Boston and New York. These cities held the trade for 
many years. The next step in the development was the 
separation of the leather business from boot and shoe 
manufacturing, the firms dealing in the leather requiring 
money payment for leather and the boot and shoe manu- 
facturers selling their product to firms dealing in boots 
and shoes only, who, in turn, sold them, usually by the 
case of sixty pairs of shoes and twelve pairs of boots, to 
country store-keepers, who from that time have kept 
them in stock as universally as dry-goods or groceries. 

Among the first towns in which this business was be- 
gun was Hopkinton; then in the adjoining town of Mil- 
ford; and about the same time in several other eastern 
towns; shortly afterwards in Grafton, where Oliver Ward 
learned his trade of Clark Brown. Mr. Ward started in 
business in North Brookfield in 1810, and from the history 
of North Brookfield we learn that "he made his own pegs; 
maple logs were sawed in sections of the proper length, 
which were then split with a long knife and the splint 
divided into pegs. The next improvement was to cut the 
points of the pegs in the blocks with a knife and mallet 
before splitting; and the next was to cut the points with 
the tail gouge driven like a carpenter's plane; and the 
next to do the whole by machinery." 

Tyler Batcheller, of Brookfield, also learned the shoe- 
maker's trade in Grafton, and, returning to Brookfield, 
commenced business in 1819, with his brother Ezra, who 
learned his trade of Oliver Ward. 

Worcester was more than a quarter of a century be- 
hind these towns in the boot and shoe business, but later 
had an important place in this industry. Previous to 



BOOTS AND SHOES 233 

1813 the only man engaged in boot and shoemaking in 
Worcester was John Tyler Hubbard, whose shop was on 
Front Street, corner of Spring. He would hardly be called 
a manufacturer at the present day, as he did business in 
a very small way, and, when he had accumulated a few 
dozen pairs, would take them to Bristol, R. I., for sale. 

In 1813 John Dolliver and Foster Newell made for 
the market, ladies' morocco and kid shoes, opposite the 
Court House. 

In February, 1818, Earle & Chase had a quantity of 
goat-skin leather dressed in the manner of black kid, 
which they were having manufactured into shoes and boots. 

In 1824 Benjamin B. Otis commenced business near 
the harness shop of Enos Tucker, and continued until 
1850, part of the time with John C. Otis, as B. B. Otis 
& Co. In 1850 C. H. Fitch became a partner, the firm- 
name being Otis, Fitch & Co. The same year B. B. Otis 
retired, and a new firm was organized of Fitch & Otis, 
which continued until 1860. For three years from 1863 
the firm was Dike & Fitch, and from that time until 1886 
the business was conducted under the name of C. H. 
Fitch & Co. 

In 1828 Scott & Smith were manufacturing ladies' 
shoes of various kinds, nearly opposite the Central meet- 
ing-house, at the sign of "The Golden Slipper/' where 
they made ladies' kid and double prunella walking shoes 
and pumps. 

In 1834 Charles Wolcot and Nathaniel Stone had a 
shop three doors south of the Centre School-house, under 
the Mgis printing office, where they manufactured boots 
and shoes, also ladies' kid, morocco and satin shoes. In 
the same year Thomas Howe & Co., at the head of Front 
Street, advertised for eight or ten journeymen to make 
bootees for the Military Academy at West Point. 



234 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Barnard & Hager were at the same time making goods 
on Front Street, corner of Summer. 

In 1835 T. S. Stone began to manufacture in Wash- 
ington Square, and in that year and the year following, he 
took a premium for his boots at the Cattle Show. In 
1839 he admitted as a partner Ansel Lakin, who was 
with him but a short time. Mr. Stone continued with 
various partners until 1864, when Samuel Brown became 
associated with him. In 1868 A. G. Walker entered the 
firm, and the business was conducted under the name of 
Stone, Walker & Brown. In 1871 the firm was again 
changed, Messrs. Brown and Walker retiring and Air. 
Stone's sons being admitted. The business was continued 
until Mr. Stone's death, in 1873. 

George and Ebenezer H. Bowen came from Leicester 
and commenced the currying of leather, as early as 1836, 
from which time for twenty years they were, in addition, 
directly and indirectly connected with the manufacture 
of boots and shoes. 

In 1837 Ansel Lakin began in a small way in the village 
of Tatnuck, and was afterwards in partnership with 
Timothy S. Stone. In 1841 he was doing business with 
Bemis & Williams, and after this he continued with vari- 
ous partners for nearly twenty years. 

In 1838 Wm. A. Draper came from Spencer and started 
in business in Pleasant Street. In 1842 Otis Corbet was 
admitted to the firm and they continued until 1847, when 
Mr. Draper went out and the business was conducted by 
Mr. Corbet alone. In 1850 Mr. Draper returned, and for 
two years the firm was Wm. A. Draper & Co. 

In 1842 E. H. Bowen and William Barker began to 
manufacture as E. H. Bowen & Co. Barker retired in 
1844, and Bowen formed a partnership with T. S. Stone, 
under the firm name of Bowen & Stone, which was dis- 



BOOTS AND SHOES 235 

solved in 1848. After this, Bowen continued alone until 
1857. 

In 1843 Joseph Walker came to Worcester from Hop- 
kinton, and began business in a wooden building in Front 
Street. In 1844 the firm of Barker & Walker was formed, 
occupying a building at the corner of Main Street and 
Lincoln Square. Mr. Barker retired from the firm in 
1846. Joseph Walker continued alone until 1851, when 
his eldest son, J. H., being of age, was admitted, and the 
firm name was Joseph Walker & Co., their place of busi- 
ness being at Lincoln Square. G. M. and A. C. Walker, 
two other sons, were admitted to partnership on their 
becoming of age. In 1862 this firm dissolved, J. Walker 
and his son, A. C. Walker, continuing under the old 
name until 1871. 

In 1845 Cyrus, William R. and George W. Bliss moved 
their business from Milford to Worcester, and continued 
until 1853. George W. Bliss then succeeded to the busi- 
ness and moved into the Merrifield Building in Union 
Street, retiring in 1857. 

Levi A. Dowley was at this time manufacturing brogan 
shoes in a small way. 

In 1846, on the dissolution of the partnership of Barker 
& Walker, Wm. Barker commenced business on his own 
account, and was alone until 1850, when Courtland 
Newton was admitted, remaining in the firm till 1853. 
In 1857 Newton Penniman was admitted. Mr. Barker 
afterwards continued for several years alone. 

In 1847 J. Munyan was manufacturing shoes in Main 
Street, and continued until 1850. 

In 1849 Rufus Wesson, Jr., came to Worcester from 
Shrewsbury, and was in business in Harding's Block, 45 
Front Street, until 1873. His son, J. E. Wesson, began 
alone in 1868, and in 1889 was doing a large business in 



236 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Mulberry Street. The firm is now J. Edwin and W. G. 
Wesson, 7 Asylum Street. 

In 1851 W. A. S. Smythe commenced the manufacture 
of shoes at the corner of Union and Market Streets. In 
1860 his brother, Robert L. Smythe, joined him. They 
gave up manufacturing in 1872, being then situated in 
Foster Street. 

In 1852 Hiram French succeeded to the business of 
Wm. A. Corbet, and continued the manufacture of boots 
until 1871. 

In 1853 Aaron G. Walker commenced manufacturing, 
and continued alone until 1857, when he went into com- 
pany with E. N. Childs. 

In 1853 C. C. Houghton began the manufacture of 
boots at Lincoln Square. In 1857 he admitted his brother, 
Alba Houghton, into the partnership of C. C. Houghton 
& Co., and continued with him until 1864, when Alba 
Houghton retired. In 1864 the partnership of Houghton 
& Heywood was formed and was dissolved in 1867. H. 

B. Adams was then admitted, and the firm of Houghton 
& Adams continued for one year. Mr. Houghton was 
alone until 1871, when Wm. Warren became a partner, 
the firm name being C. C. Houghton & Co. Mr. Warren 
retired in 1884. In 1889 the firm consisted of C. C. Hough- 
ton, F. N. Houghton and E. W. Warren and was known as 

C. C. Houghton & Co., which was located in Houghton's 
Block, corner of Front Street and Salem Square. 

In 1853 E. N. Childs came to Worcester from Millbury, 
and engaged in business with Albert Gould for one year. 
In 1854 Albert S. Brown became a partner. They did 
business as Childs & Brown until 1857, when Mr. Brown 
retired, and A. G. Walker was admitted under the firm 
of E. N. Childs & Co. In 1862 Mr. Walker retired and 
Mr. Childs continued under the same firm name until 



BOOTS AND SHOES 237 

1881. During the preceding few years his sons were inter- 
ested with him in the business. 

In 1855 Luther Stowe came to Worcester from Grafton 
and commenced business in Mechanic Street, soon after 
which he formed a partnership with E. A. Muzzy, as 
E. A. Muzzy & Co. The firm dissolved in 1865. Mr. 
Stowe and J. F. Davenport, under the title of L. Stowe 
& Co., commenced business in Washington Square. In 
1875 Mr. Davenport retired, and the business was con- 
tinued under the firm name of Luther Stowe & Co. In 
1880 they moved to a factory in Grafton Street, and con- 
tinued there under the old firm name. 

In 1857 David Cummings began with Mr. Hudson, 
the firm name being Cummings & Hudson. Mr. Hudson 
retired in 1862, and Mr. Cummings continued alone until 
1866, when he left Worcester. He returned in 1880, and 
with his partners, E. H. Hurlbert and D. E. Spencer, 
built and occupied the factory in King Street, occupied 
by them in 1889. 

E. A. Muzzy and Luther Stowe commenced manufac- 
turing in 1857, as E. A. Muzzy & Co., continuing until 
1865, when Mr. Stowe went out and Mr. Muzzy retired 
from manufacturing, the business being continued by 
G. L. Battelle and F. A. Muzzy, under the old name of 
E. A. Muzzy & Co., until 1875. 

In 1860 H. B. Jenks came to Worcester from North 
Brookfield, and commenced the manufacture of boots and 
shoes, continuing until 1871. 

Also, in 1860, H. B. Fay came to Worcester from Shrews- 
bury. He continued to manufacture until 1887, most of 
the time under the firm name of H. B. Fay & Co. 

In 1862 J. H. Walker commenceed business in Eaton 
place. In 1864 George M. Walker was admitted, the 
firm name being changed to J. H. & G. M. Walker. They 



238 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

afterwards built a factory in Front Street and one in Eaton 
Place. In 1870 they built and moved to a factory in 
Water Street, the capacity of wich was doubled in 1879. 
G. M. Walker retired in 1870. Samuel Davenport took 
his place, and in 1880 H. Y. Simpson was also admitted, 
the firm name always remaining J. H. & G. M. Walker. 
The specialty of this firm was the widely-known "Walker 
Boot." They retired from business January, 1888. 

In 1863 J. W. Brigham & Co., who had been manu- 
facturing for three or four years in a small building near 
the junction of Main and Southbridge Streets, built and 
moved into the factory in Southbridge Street, where 
they were in 1889. 

In 1864 Bigelow & Trask commenced the manufacture 
of shoes in Austin Street. In 1866 they were incorporated 
under the name of the Bay State Shoe and Leather Com- 
pany. The headquarters of this corporation were in New 
York, J. Munyan, before referred to as manufacturing in 
1847, was vice-president and Worcester agent. 

In 1865 E. H. and 0. X. Stark formed a partnership 
under the name of E. H. Stark k Co. In 1889 they were 
located in Main Street, above Myrtle. 

In 1866 Simon J. Woodbury, of Sutton, moved a build- 
ing from that place to the site of the shop occupied by 
Goddard, Fay & Stone in 18S9. and he. with others, 
manufactured for a short time. In 1866 Rawson k Lin- 
nell moved their business from West Boylston to Worces- 
ter, bringing with them twenty-two families and com- 
menced manufacturing in Pleasant Street, near Main, 
under the name of E. C. Linnell & Co. In 1868 they built 
a factory on the site of the Woodbury building in Austin 
Street. Mr. Linnell withdrew in 1869, and a new firm was 
organized under the name of D. G. Rawson & Co.. con- 
sisting of D. G. Rawson, D. S. Goddard, W. B. Fay, which 
continued until 1881. 



BOOTS AND SHOES 239 

In 1867 Alba Houghton withdrew from the firm of 
C. C. Houghton & Co. and commenced business on his 
own account under the name of Alba Houghton & Co. 
and continued until 1882. In 1867, on the dissolution of 
the firm of Houghton & Heywood, S. R. Heywood went 
into business for himself and was alone until 1873, when 
Oscar Phillips was admitted as a partner, and business 
was done under the firm name of S. R. Heywood & Co. 
In 1880 they moved to their new factory in Winter Street, 
and in 1884 were incorporated under the name of the Hey- 
wood Boot and Shoe Company. In 1889 the officers of 
the corporation were: Samuel R. Heywood, President; 
Frank E. Heywood, Vice-President; Oscar Phillips, 
Treasurer. 

During 1889, Oscar Phillips retired and was succeeded 
by Frank E. Heywood as Treasurer. The officers re- 
mained, President, Samuel R. Heywood; Vice-President 
and Treasurer, Frank E. Heywood, until 1899 when, 
upon the death of Frank E. Heywood, the following officers 
were chosen: President, Samuel R. Heywood; Treasurer, 
Bertram S. Newell; Vice-President, Albert S. Heywood. 
The following year the officers were: President, Samuel 
R. Heywood; Vice-President and Treasurer, Albert S. 
Heywood; Assistant Treasurer, Bertram S. Newell. These 
officers continued until the death of S. R. Heywood in 
1913. Since that time they have been: President, Al- 
bert S. Heywood; Vice-President and Treasurer, Bertram 
S. Newell; Assistant Treasurer, Chester D. Heywood, 
a son of Frank E. Heywood. 

Since 1889 there have been four enlargements of the 
factory building— in 1894, 1905, 1907, 1913, the total of 
all these additions more than doubling the floor space of 
the original factory. The factory building was originally 
owned by S. R. Heywood, but in 1907 was purchased by 



240 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

the corporation. During this period the gross business 
has increased over three hundred per cent. 

In 1899 the Company was changing over from the manu- 
facture of boots to shoes, and for some years after that 
the product was rated as medium fine, while today the 
Company is manufacturing strictly high-grade shoes. 
It is of interest to note that of all the boot manufacturers 
in Worcester, in the early years of the industry, S. R. 
Heywood was the only one who continued in the business 
and changed over from the old, heavy boot to fine shoes. 
The Fiftieth Anniversary of the founding of the business 
occurred in 1914. 

In 1871, A. G. Walker and Samuel Brown withdrew 
from the firm of Stone, Walker & Brown, and, commenc- 
ing under the name of Walker & Brown, continued until 
1879, when Mr. Walker retired. Mr. Brown went on 
alone under the same firm name, and in 1889 was doing 
business as Walker & Brown, in Barton Place, his son 
being a partner. 

In 1871, Whitcomb, Dadmun & Stowe commenced in 
Southbridge Street, and continued for four years, when the 
firm dissolved, and C. C. & C. H. Whitcomb formed a 
new partnership, under the name of Whitcomb Brothers, 
and were manufacturing for nine years, when the firm was 
again dissolved. They were succeeded by C. C. Whit- 
comb and E. B. Miles, under the name of Whitcomb & 
Miles, who were manufacturing in Shrewsbury Street in 
1889. 

In 1872, H. B. Adams, H. W. Hastings and A. C. 
Walker, began business in the block corner of Allen Court, 
second story, and then moved to Cherry Street, and, 
under the name of Adams & Hastings, continued until 

1878. 






BOOTS AND SHOES 241 

In 1875, J. F. Davenport left the firm of L. Stowe & Co., 
and he, with Alfred W. Long, started in Eaton Place as 
Davenport & Long, continuing until 1885. 

In 1875, G. L. Battelle, under the name of G. L. Bat- 
telle & Co., succeeded E. A. Muzzy & Co., and engaged in 
the manufacture of a cloth-boot, called "Alaskas," and 
custom boots and shoes. He was situated in Mechanic 
Street in 1889. 

In 1878, J. U. Green, coming from Spencer, began 
business in Cherry Street, under the name of J. U. Green 
& Co., afterwards moving to Front Street, where he con- 
tinued in business until 1883. 

In 1881, upon the dissolution of the partnership of 
D. G. Rawson & Co., C. S. Goddard, W. B. Fay and A. 
M. Stone, formed a new company, under the name of 
Goddard, Fay & Stone, and continued in business until 
January 1, 1889, when they were succeeded by Goddard, 
Stone & Co. They always occupied the factory in Austin 
Street, the capacity of which was doubled by them in 1886. 

In 1883, Bemis & Fletcher began business in Mechanic 
Street, under the name of the Waverly Shoe Company, 
and in 1889 located in Front Street. Their specialty was 
the " Waverly School Shoe." 

In 1888, F. W. Blacker, who was with the firm of J. H. 
& G. M. Walker from 1865 until their retirement, suc- 
ceeded to the business, leased the old Walker factory 
in Eaton Place, with its machinery, tools and patterns, 
and continued to make the widely-celebrated " Walker 
Boot." 

Until the year 1868 nearly all the boots and shoes manu- 
factured in Worcester were hand-made, machinery, ex- 
cepting the sewing-machine, being little used. Worces- 
ter manufacturers were not quick to adopt boot and shoe 



242 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

machinery, and they did not use it until long after it had 
been adopted in other places. From 1850 to 1868 a 
large proportion of the boots and shoes were taken to 
the adjoining towns of West Boylston, Oakdale, Holden, 
Grafton, Millbury and Auburn to have the bottom stock 
put on; and then they were brought back and finished in 
the factories in Worcester. 

After 1868 the quantity thus bottomed steadily de- 
creased. There was at one time a great prejudice among 
consumers against goods made by machinery, hand- made 
work being considered far superior, and for the first few 
years after the introduction of the pegging-machine, it 
was absolutely necessary that the manufacturer "sand 
off" from the bottom of every boot the impressions made 
by the machine, for fear the boots might be rejected by 
the customer. To such an extent was this feeling carried, 
that as late as 1870 large quantities of goods were sold 
stamped " Warranted Hand-made," on which nearly 
the whole work was done by machinery. Up to 1889, 
there was probably no industry in which the improve- 
ment in methods had been so radical and complete as in 
this. The only department where there had not been a 
great improvement was in that of the upper leather cutting 
and treeing. The cutting of upper leather was still done 
by hand. Treeing was done substantially as it was when 
boots were first made, and, although machines had been 
invented for doing this work, they had never been con- 
sidered satisfactory. 

By the use of machinery in its present perfected state, 
goods can be produced that are more uniform than any 
that can be made by hand. A striking feature in the manu- 
facture of boots and shoes is the division of labor. As far 
back as 1840 all who called themselves shoemakers were 
able to take leather in the side and complete a perfect 



BOOTS AND SHOES 243 

boot or shoe. In these days, in the large factories an ordi- 
nary boot will go through the hands of fifty or sixty dif- 
ferent persons, the work in each room being minutely 
divided, and few of the men being skilled in any but their 
particular part. This is one reason why boots and shoes 
are produced and sold so cheaply at the present time. 
Each man takes up that branch to which he is best 
adapted, and continual practice makes him an adept. 
The cost of labor on a case of twelve pairs of ordinary 
heavy boots in 1889 was about five dollars. To produce 
the same number of boots by hand, by old methods, would 
take the wages of two weeks. The making of lasts, pat- 
terns and dies now used, has been so far reduced to a 
science that one can go into a first-class boot and shoe 
store and procure boots or shoes that will fit him per- 
fectly. 

Worcester was practically what was called a boot town, 
comparatively few shoes being made in the earlier days. 
Heavy shoes, called "brogans/' and plow-shoes were 
made, but these were considered about the same as boots, 
and were usually made in the same factories by the same 
workmen. 

In my article of 1889 I said: In treating of the boot 
and shoe industry, it is not generally understood that the 
manufacture of boots and shoes is distinct. A workman 
is seldom found who can do equally well on each kind of 
work. The manufacture of ladies' fine shoes, such as are 
made in Haverhill and Lynn, has never been attempted 
here. In order to do this it would be necessary to ob- 
tain the help from those towns, and this has always been 
found unsatisfactory. Many attempts to make boots in 
shoe towns have failed, and the fact is fully recognized. 

The manufacture of boots and shoes is now, and has 
been for years, one of the leading industries of Worcester, 



244 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

and has been uniformly successful. This is not due to the 
manufacturers alone. In most of the large boot and shoe 
towns the workmen are the unsettled population. In 
Worcester it is not so. Nearly all are permanent residents, 
a large number owning their homes, and, even in times of 
great business depression, few leave the city. To this 
fact must be largely attributed the absence of strikes. 
While other places have been visited with labor troubles, 
but two strikes of any consequence have been known 
here, one in 1867 and one in 1887. 

It is to the credit of employer and employees that they 
have considered their interests mutual, thus enabling the 
differences between them to be readily and satisfactorily 
adjusted. It is worthy of notice that, with scarcely an 
exception, none of the early manufacturers of Worcester 
had any educational advantages superior to those of the 
common school. They nearly all learned their trade at 
the bench, and to this, in a great measure, must be attrib- 
uted their success. Being able to do any part of the work 
themselves, they were competent to judge if the work 
were properly done by others. They have proved 
themselves to be enterprising and worthy citizens, and 
have held a full share of the honorable positions in the 
gift of their fellow- townsmen. They have been repre- 
sented in the directorates of the various banks, in the 
common Council, Board of Aldermen, State Legislature, 
and in the United States Congress by Joseph H. Walker. 

The Bigelow heeling-machine was an improvement 
upon the McKay machine, with which its interests were 
identified. H. H. Bigelow patented the heel in 1869, and 
the machine in 1870. By means of it all the odd or 
u V"-shaped pieces of sole leather, which were formerly 
considered worthless, were utilized. These were joined 
or fitted closely together, under a solid upper lift, and fed 



BIGELOW HEELING MACHINE 245 

to the machine, which consisted of a revolving cylinder, 
making one revolution in four motions. First, the heel 
was pressed; then, a quarter revolution and the heel was 
pricked for the nails; then, another quarter revolution 
and the nails were driven; with the final quarter revolu- 
tion the completed heel was forced from the cylinder. 

The machine not only utilized pieces of leather of every 
kind and shape, but took all heels, whether whole, half 
or quarter lifts, and saved one good lift on each boot or 
shoe heel, since the leather which would otherwise be 
trimmed off was by reason of the equal pressure upon the 
heel from all sides, evenly and smoothly forced into the 
heel, elevating it, and making a difference of one entire 
lift in height. A good lift was worth about two cents. 
The machine not only made pieced heels, but all styles, 
heights, shapes and sizes, and was undoubtedly a most 
valuable contribution to this industry, since while it 
effected the greatest saving it accomplished the most 
laborious part of the work. With it, a man and boy 
could heel five thousand pairs of boots or shoes in a day, 
effecting a saving of the wages of forty-eight additional 
operatives per day. 

The amount of royalty upon a pair of boots or shoes 
was one-half of one cent, but by the saving of leather, 
and the saving of wages, the seller was not only able to 
dispose of his goods at a less price, but the durability of 
the boot or shoe was increased tenfold by means of this 
improvement in the method of manufacture. 

A. H. Dean, in 1866, established the business of manu- 
facturing shoe heels from upper leather remnants bought 
at the boot and shoe factories. He was among the first 
in the country to engage in this occupation as a distinct 
business. Heels had been made for the most part of sole 
leather in shoe factories. Most of this work was done by 



246 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

hand. The heel pieces were cut by dies. The business 
had so grown that in 1889 there were two hundred con- 
cerns in the country in this special line of work. 1 

On February 13, 1861, the first Day Book of the firm 
which later developed into The Graton & Knight Manu- 
facturing Company was opened. The entire capital in- 
vested was $1,057.29, which was furnished by the two 
partners, Henry C. Graton and Joseph A. Knight, both 
of whom had had twelve years' experience as belt and 
card makers, having been for four years with the Earle 
and Ames Co., and seven years with the T. K. Earle 
Company, from the latter of which they bought their 
first stock of belt tools. The first place of business was at 
137 Front Street (Harding's Block), and here the belting 
was manufactured from leather, which was purchased 
until 1867 when a tannery was built on Bloomingdale 
Road, whose capacity was about one hundred and fifty 
hides a week. In 1872 the company was incorporated 
with $100,000 capital. In 1882 a department known as 
the Worcester Counter Co. was opened in a building near 
the tannery for the manufacture of counters, soles and 
other shoe accessories. In 1899 the capacity of the tannery 
was increased to six hundred hides a week. The leather 
was carried to the factory at 137 Front Street and there 
curried and made up into belting. At the Bloomingdale 
Road factory, in addition to the products of the Worces- 
ter Counter Company, various kinds of straps, such as 
mill and harvester straps were manufactured. 

In 1893 a branch store was opened at Chicago. During 
the next three years four other branches were established 
in different sections of the country. In 1893 the belt 
shop was moved to new quarters at Bloomingdale Road, 

iThe late Hon. Joseph H. Walker and Mr. F. W. Blacker furnished me with some of the 
material used in the chapter upon Boots and Shoes. C. G. W. 



LEATHER BELTING 247 

and five years later the office was also moved there, thus 
leaving Front Street altogether. The Graton & Knight 
Manufacturing Company is at the present time the largest 
belt maker in the world, giving employment to nearly 
fourteen hundred persons. The capacity of the tannery 
is seven hundred and fifty hides a day. The Worcester 
factory has floor space of almost four hundred and fifty 
thousand square feet, or over nine acres. In addition to 
this, there are two branch factories in other parts of the 
country. The number of stores has increased to twenty, 
including one in England, and these employ one hundred 
salesmen and assistants. The capitalization which had 
been steadily increasing was fixed a few years ago at 
$2,000,000. Walter M. Spaulding is President of the 
Company. 

H. O. Hudson & Co., successors to Peter Goulding, 
established in 1854, manufactured leather belting, rubber 
belting, loom straps, etc. 

J. F. & C. G. Warren (now the J. F. & W. H. Warren 
Co.) also manufactured leather belting. 

Boot and shoe and belting machinery was made by 
A. F. Stowe, on Cypress Street. 

H. C. Pease & Co. and John J. Adams also manufac- 
tured shoe machinery. 

Samuel Mawhinney, in company with A. P. Richardson, 
commenced the manufacture of lasts January 1, 1857, 
in Merrifield's Building. At that time the lasts were 
turned out in the rough in Canada and finished in Wor- 
cester. In 1868 Mr. Richardson retired, and in 1869 
Mr. Mawhinney bought land on Church Street and built 
the shop occupied by him in 1889. About that time R. L. 
Golbert became a partner. One hundred thousand pairs 
of lasts were made annually. The material used was 
rock maple. In addition to the last business, this com- 



248 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



pany made boot and shoe trees. Golbert Last Company, 
Robert L. Golbert, President, is now in business at 54 
Commercial Street. 

A. M. Howe began the die business in Westboro in the 
year 1857, and moved to Worcester in 1860. In 1861 he 
had a contract from the Government to make primers for 
guns. Mr. Howe made boot and shoe, envelope and har- 
ness dies; in fact, cutting dies of almost every descrip- 
tion. He formerly bought his die stock from the Coes, 
but in 1889 prepared it under a patented process of his 
own. John J. Adams bought the business in 1895 or 1896 
and still carries it on at 81 Mechanic St., the old location. 
Mr. Howe died December 26, 1905. 

Davis, Savels & Co. was the only other concern in the 
city which made dies in 1889. They commenced business 
in 1870. Mr. Davis was formerly in the employ of A. M. 
Howe. O. M. Savels & Co. now make cutting dies at 
Plum, corner East Worcester Street. 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 249 



CHAPTER IX 

Paper Machinery — Razors — Norton Company; Grinding Machinery — 
Corsets — Skates — Chairs — Gas — Electricity — Hydraulic Elevators — Cartridge 
Belts — Drop Forgings — Pressed Steel — Wall Paper — Labeling Machines — 
Sprinklers. 

Isaac Goddard was born in South Royalston, Vt., in 
1800. He came to Massachusetts in 1812, and was ap- 
prenticed to Elijah Burbank at Quinsigamond to learn 
paper-making. After serving his time, he went to Mill- 
bury, and about 1823 made paper there by the pound for 
General Burbank. In 1836 he came to Worcester, formed 
a partnership with Mr. Howe, and, under the firm name 
of Howe & Goddard, began making paper machinery at 
the old Red Mills. It is said that six months after start- 
ing they put in a steam-engine of six horse-power. This 
they used for two years, in conjunction with their water- 
power. February 1, 1843, they moved to the Union Street 
factory. In the summer of 1846 Mr. Howe died, and 
George M. Rice shortly after became a partner. 

In April, 1856, Goddard, Rice & Co. bought from Isaac 
Davis, for thirty-one thousand dollars, the factory 
occupied by them in Union Street. April 1, 1862, God- 
dard, Rice & Co. dissolved, and May 1, George M. Rice, 
George S. Barton and Joseph E. Fales formed a company 
for the manufacture of machinery under the style of 
Rice, Barton & Co. At this time they advertised to make 
steam boilers, and in 1863 manufactured the Vandewater 
Waterwheel. George S. Barton came to Worcester in 
1845; was apprenticed to Howe and Goddard, and in 
1849 became a partner in Goddard, Rice & Co. 

The Rice, Barton & Fales Machine and Iron Company 
was organized in 1867, and succeeded to the business of 



250 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

manufacturing paper-making, calico-printing and dye- 
ing machinery, printing and dyeing machines for cotton 
and woolen mills, bleaching, paper-printing machinery, 
hydraulic presses, architectural iron and other large work. 

This Company removed from Union and Foster Streets 
to the present location in 1892, having purchased from the 
late Joseph H. Walker, a tract of land of nearly five acres. 
A modern machine shop and foundry were erected, and 
occupied in the summer of 1893. Since the original 
buildings were built, five or six other smaller buildings 
have been added, thereby increasing the floor space very 
considerably. The sales of the business have largely 
increased at the new location, and the number of employ- 
ees is probably one-third to one-half greater now than it 
was twenty-five years ago. 

In the machine shop, the first-class machinists are 
largely Americans and Swedes. Irish, Finns and Poles 
are also employed. The foundry employees are largely 
Irish, although there are a number of Americans. 

The main lines of manufacture are today the same as 
twenty-five years ago, namely the building of paper- 
making and textile printing machinery, although since 
that time other classes of machinery have been added ; 
notably, laundry mangles for use in commercial laundries. 
The manufacture of pulp machinery has been largely 
increased. This Company is the exclusive builder, in this 
country and Canada, of several patented machines. 

The Company has recently shipped to the largest indi- 
vidual newspaper manufacturing concern in the world the 
biggest paper-making machine, for the manufacture of 
newsprint, that has ever been made ; this machine weighs 
in the vicinity of 1100 tons, and is capable of producing 
a sheet of newsprint one hundred and forty-six inches 
wide, at the rate of one thousand feet per minute. 



PAPER MACHINERY— RAZORS 251 

George S. Barton succeeded his father, Charles S. 
Barton, upon the death of the latter in July, 1914, and the 
management of the Company is now in the third genera- 
tion, in this respect unique among the manufactories of 
Worcester. 

J. R. Torrey & Co. manufacture razor strops and dress- 
ing-cases, and are situated at the corner of Piedmont and 
Chandler Streets. The business was begun in a very 
small way in 1858 by J. R. Torrey, with eight employees. 
In 1885 his son, Lewis H. Torrey, was admitted to part- 
nership. The business has increased until the product is 
known the world over. 

The J. R. Torrey Razor Company was incorporated 
in 1880. Joseph Turner, a practical razor maker from 
Sheffield, England, was president, and J. R. Torrey, 
treasurer. The original factory was erected in 1882 and 
doubled in floor space in 1905. Upon the death of Joseph 
Turner, in 1907, his oldest son, William Turner, was 
made president of the company. 

This company was the first to successfully manufac- 
ture razors in the United States, and has introduced many 
improvements in processes, special machinery, and 
the vulcanized rubber handle. This is the only factory in 
the country exclusively occupied in the manufacture of 
razors. There are about one hundred and fifty operatives. 

The Holyoke Machine Company was established at 
Holyoke in 1863. In 1882 a branch factory was built at 
Worcester, situated opposite the old Wheeler Foundry on 
Thomas Street. This company manufactures the Her- 
cules Turbine Water- Wheel, shafting, hangers, pulleys 
and power transmission machinery. 

In 1784 there was a pottery in Worcester two and a half 
miles from the meeting-house on the road to Springfield. 
In 1875 F. B. Norton had a pottery in a small wooden 



252 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

building on Water Street where, in 1879, he began the man- 
ufacture of grinding wheels by the vitrified process. Since 
that time, the production of these wheels has far out- 
stripped that of any other kind and grinding has taken a 
large and revolutionizing place in many lines of manu- 
facture. 

The Norton Emery Wheel Company was incorporated 
June 20, 1885, with the following Board of Directors: 
Milton P. Higgins, George I. Alden, Walter L. Messer, 
Horace A. Young, Fred H. Daniels. 

Mr. Higgins was the Superintendent of the Washburn 
Shops of the Polytechnic Institute, Mr. Alden was Pro- 
fessor of Mechanical Engineering. Both of them were my 
instructors when I was a student. Mr. Young was the 
Master Mechanic at the plant of the Washburn & Moen 
Mfg. Co., and Mr. Daniels was assistant to Mr. Morgan, 
the General Superintendent of that Company. 

In July, 1886, the Norton Company began the erection 
of new works at Barbers' Crossing at the junction of two 
divisions of the Boston & Maine R. R. This building 
was finished and occupied about January 1, 1887. It 
contained 17,280 square feet of floor space, and two kilns. 
The plant gave employment to thirteen persons and was 
considered the best equipped in the country. 

Changes in 1892 made Milton P. Higgins, president; 
George I. Alden, treasurer; Charles L. Allen, secretary 
and general manager; John Jeppson, superintendent. 
The two latter had been employees of Mr. Norton, Mr. 
Allen in the office and Mr. Jeppson a potter. Since then 
Aldus C. Higgins (son of Milton P. Higgins), has been 
added to the board of directors and is Corporation Coun- 
sel; also George N. Jeppson (son of John Jeppson) who is 
Works Manager. R. Sanford Riley, son-in-law of Mr. 



NORTON COMPANY 253 

Higgins, President of the Sanford Riley Stoker Company, 
is also a member of the board. 

The Norton Grinding Company was incorporated in 
1900. Its products consist of machines for cylindrical 
grinding, for grinding plain surfaces, roll grinding, car 
wheel grinding, car axle grinding, tool and cutter grinding 
and bench and floor stands. The Norton machines for 
cylindrical grinding are widely recognized as the heaviest 
types built for grinding with extreme accuracy and 
rapidity. 

One of the recent installations was a roll grinding 
machine that weighed one hundred and ten thousand 
pounds. It was designed for grinding rolls fifty-five 
inches in diameter, twenty-one feet long, which weighed 
sixty-four thousand pounds or thirty-two tons. Recent 
developments have made possible the use of grinding 
wheels, with a face as wide as ten inches. 

The railroad industry is greatly aided by the develop- 
ment of car wheel and car axle grinding machines; the 
methods of rolling sheet metal have been revolutionized 
by grinding machinery. 

The perfection in the manufacture of the automobile 
is largely due to the development of grinding, to which the 
agricultural and textile industries also owe much. The pearl, 
marble, granite, concrete and cutlery industries, even the 
manufacture of breakfast foods such as shredded wheat, 
toasted corn flakes and flaked rice, and flours of smooth 
and velvety texture, chocolate and many other products 
are more or less dependent upon grinding machines and 
grinding wheels. Indeed, it may truthfully be said that, 
in addition to the uses already mentioned grinding has 
become a great factor in the low cost and high rate of 
production of machine tools, locomotives, wood working 
machinery, armament, printing presses, linotype and 



254 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

monotype machines, cash registers, adding machines and 
typewriters and it may be added that many of them owe 
their present state of perfection to grinding machinery. 

In the early years the abrasive materials used in the 
manufacture of the Norton products were emery and 
corundum. In 1906 Alundum, an artificial or manufac- 
tured abrasive, developed by the company, superseded 
emery and corundum, and a carbide of silicon abrasive, 
Crystolon, another electric furnace product, became a 
factor in 1910. 

In addition to the Worcester works, the Norton Com- 
pany operates two electric furnace abrasive plants, one 
at Niagara Falls, N. Y., and the other at Chippewa, 
Ontario, Canada; a plant at Bauxite, Ark., for the prep- 
aration of the bauxite ore, and a grinding wheel plant at 
Wesseling, Germany. It has been necessary to develop 
the abrasive plants on which the Worcester plant is 
dependent for its raw material in the same proportion 
as the Worcester plant. 

In the year 1916 these plants produced twenty-six 
thousand tons of abrasives, Alundum and Crystolon, and 
additional equipment completed in the early part of 1917 
has given them a productive capacity of forty-eight thou- 
sand tons annually. In order to supply abrasives to 
maintain the present production at the Worcester works, 
the electric furnace plants must produce at the rate of at 
least one hundred and thirty-five tons a day. 

The Norton Worcester plant in March, 1917, had a floor 
space area of 1,214,940 square feet with additional build- 
ings under construction which will add 127,105 square 
feet. Eighty-two kilns similar to the old type of pottery 
kiln are employed in the manufacture of grinding wheels, 
and the number of employees is 4513, of which 3665 are 
connected with the Norton Company in the manufacture 



NORTON COMPANY 255 

of grinding wheels and other abrasive products, and 848 
with the Norton Grinding Company in the manufacture 
of grinding machines. 

The Norton Company has been among the pioneers in 
establishing factory hospital free medical service and 
a system of medical supervision including physical exam- 
inations of workmen. Its methods have been carefully 
watched by large employers of labor and medical experts, 
and have been adopted elsewhere. Perhaps the most 
unique among the welfare projects of this company has 
been the development of the Indian Hill Community, 
which provides private homes for workmen. Miss Ida 
M. Tarbell, in her book on "New Ideals in Business," 
says of it: "Of recent undertakings there is no doubt 
but that Indian Hill, founded by the Norton Company of 
Worcester, Mass., is the most suggestive and promising. 
It is planned for utility, economy and beauty. It will 
be the most attractive town of its kind in the United 
States if it is carried out as begun." The Indian Hill 
Company is a subsidiary of the Norton Company with 
the same ownership and officials. It provides a way for 
the workman to buy and own a home of his own which 
involves an original payment of only ten per cent of the 
purchase price. 

Adjacent to the Norton plant is a farm of forty acres 
which each year is plowed up by the company, apportioned 
in garden plots, free of charge, among those employees 
who care to cultivate the land. The Norton Agricultural 
Society has become one of the important organizations 
of the company's employees. The gardeners have been 
successful each year, and as a stimulus to their efforts, the 
company holds an agricultural fair annually in connection 
with a "Folk Fest" which all employees and their fam- 
ilies attend. The work of the Agricultural Society, the 



256 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

success that the gardeners have met with, and possibly 
the present high cost of living have excited unusual in- 
terest, and at this time, March, 1917, four hundred and 
eighty employees have become farmers and each has 
been provided with ground for a garden. 

Upon the death of Milton P. Higgins in 1912, George I. 
Alden became President of the company and Charles L. 
Allen, Treasurer and General Manager. 

Milton P. Higgins was the president of the Norton 
Emery Wheel Company and the other Norton Compan- 
ies from their beginning until his death in 1912. He was 
primarily a mechanic with a keen appreciation of mechan- 
ical methods. He was early attracted to the possibilities 
of the vitrified wheel as compared with the elastic wheel 
which preceded it. It was largely through his optimism 
and foresight that the vitrified wheel was so effectively 
developed. He established the Plunger Elevator Com- 
pany (now merged with the Otis Elevator Company) 
and the Worcester Pressed Steel Company, and took 
a very active interest in the Polytechnic Institute, of 
which he was a trustee. He was very deeply interested 
in the Worcester Trade School, his relations with which 
are considered elsewhere. 

Among the group of plants at Greendale is that of the 
Heald Machine Company, established by Stephen Heald 
in the year 1830, in Barre, Mass. In 1890 the business 
was carried on by L. S. Heald & Son, Leander S. Heald 
being a son, and James N. Heald a grandson of the founder 
of the business. In 1903 James N. Heald, the present 
general manager of the Heald Machine Company, bought 
out his father's interest, organized the Heald Machine 
Company and moved the business to Worcester. For 
some time previous to the removal of the business the 
firm was engaged quite extensively in the manufacture 



GRINDING MACHINERY 257 

of grinding machines. After moving to Worcester this 
line of grinding machinery was increased by the addition 
of the ring and surface grinder, which was designed es- 
pecially for grinding piston rings for automobile and gas 
engines, also discs, dies, thrust collars, etc. The success 
of this machine led the Company to design a machine 
for grinding gas engine cylinders, for which there was 
beginning to be a demand. The production of a successful 
machine for this work proved to be an extremely difficult 
problem, and involved a great deal of study and experi- 
mental work to achieve success. This has been adopted 
as the standard machine for the work by almost all of the 
leading automobile and gas engine manufacturers, and 
there are few machines of any other make used in this 
country on this work. The next machine brought out 
by the Company was an internal grinding machine for 
grinding either straight or taper holes in the more common 
classes of work which can be rotated to advantage. This 
machine marks a great advance in the art of internal 
grinding, because it was especially designed for this 
particular work, was made heavy and rigid, was pro- 
vided with quick change speed boxes for easily obtaining 
correct speeds and feeds, and was highly developed in all 
its details to make it rapid, accurate and extremely ef- 
ficient in operation. The works occupy over one hundred 
thousand square feet of floor space, and are served by a 
spur track from the B. & M. R. R. 

The growth of the Company can perhaps be indicated 
by referring to the size of the shop in 1903, when the 
business was moved to Worcester, which was ninety 
feet wide by one hundred feet long with a shed in 
the rear containing a small vertical boiler. Addi- 
tions were made in 1907, 1909, 1911, 1915 and 1916, 
so that the shop now measures one hundred and 



258 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

ninety feet in width by five hundred and twenty feet 
in length, four-fifths of this being saw-tooth roof con- 
struction giving the finest light possible in a shop of this 
character. The artificial lighting is also very cleverly 
worked out so that the lighting either by day or by night 
is most satisfactory. The number of persons employed 
by the Company in 19Q3 was about twenty- two, while 
the number at present is about three hundred and seventy- 
five. The products, while used largely in this country, 
are exported in considerable amounts. 

The officers are: Paul B. Morgan, president; James N. 
Heald, treasurer and general manager; Paul B. Morgan, 
John W. Harrington, Oliver B. Wood and James N. Heald, 
directors. 

In the year 1861 D. H. Fanning, still living, an active 
and useful citizen, finding that hoopskirts were becoming 
popular, secured a small room in what was then Clark's 
Block, situated at the corner of Main and Mechanic 
Streets, and with one operative began their manufacture. 

The product of this small establishment found a ready 
sale. He continued the manufacture of hoopskirts ex- 
clusively until the year 1864, when the manufacture of 
corsets was introduced into this country and Mr. Fanning 
added this industry. 

The plant was enlarged to meet the increasing demands 
made upon it. In 1872 the business was removed to the 
W. W. Rice building, 564 Main Street. The manufacture 
of corsets proved the more important part, and at length 
the manufacture of skirts was discontinued. The name 
of the firm, at first the Worcester Skirt Company, was 
changed to the Worcester Corset Company. 

Theodore C. Bates was employed by Mr. Fanning in 
1875. In 1876 Mr. Fanning sold to Mr. Bates an interest 
in the business and formed a limited partnership with 



CORSETS 259 

him. Subsequently Mr. Fanning bought Mr. Bates' 
interest. 

The business continued to develop, and a section of the 
Franklin building, adjoining, was added. In 1880 the 
Heywood building, located in the rear of the Rice build- 
ing, was added to the other two. 

In 1885, finding the market for its products reaching 
over a constantly increasing area, at length covering the 
entire country, the Worcester Corset Company estab- 
lished branch salesrooms in Chicago, 111., the great dis- 
tributing point for the West and Northwest, and also 
opened an office in New York City. Subsequently the 
name was changed to the Royal Worcester Corset Com- 
pany and in 1897 the business was moved to the plant 
now occupied on Wyman Street. 

The total number of square feet in the floor space of 
the various buildings is one hundred sixty-eight thousand, 
two hundred and eighteen. The number of operatives is 
about eighteen hundred, including men and women. 

A few years ago many parts of the corset were made by 
hand. Today they are made by high power, motor-driven 
machinery. This is one of the largest corset plants in the 
world, and there is no corset plant anywhere which excels 
this one in modern equipment, sanitary arrangements and 
general perfection of conditions. David H. Fanning is 
president of the Company and Edwin J. Seward, treasurer. 

The Park Corset Works, in Front Street, was estab- 
lished in 1868, and incorporated in 1885. 

The Massachusetts Corset Company was organized 
February, 1907, with a capital stock of three hundred 
thousand dollars and succeeded to the business of the 
United States Corset Company, purchasing the building 
at No. 15 Union Street and all other property. It has 
continued its business at the same location and has been 



260 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

enlarging its manufacture of high-grade corsets under the 
names of "Wimelmina" and " Regal Quality. " About 
two hundred operatives are employed. The New Eng- 
land Corset Co. is located at 140 Green Street. Several 
other successful manufacturers of corsets are located here. 

In 1856 S. C. & S. Winslow, who had been engaged in 
business at Newton Upper Falls, occupied a small room in 
Cypress Street, in Merrifield's building, doing machine 
jobbing. In 1857, observing that skating was becoming 
popular, they ventured to make twenty-five pairs of 
skates, of which they sold nineteen during the first 
year. In 1858, in anticipation of the demand, they 
manufactured two hundred pairs, but before the end of 
the year had manufactured and sold two thousand five 
hundred. Seth C. Winslow died in 1871, and his inter- 
est was purchased by Samuel Winslow. 

In 1872 Mr. Winslow made roller skates for J. L. 
Plympton, of New York, which were used in this coun- 
try and exported to Europe and to India. He continued 
to manufacture them for several years; meantime the 
business had so increased that a factory was built in 
Mulberry Street. In 1880 Mr. Winslow invented the 
Vineyard roller skate, which has been the most popular 
roller skate made. The demand in this country contin- 
ued until the fall of 1885. 

During the year 1884 Mr. Winslow built an addition 
to his factory. In 1886 he sold his business to the Samuel 
Winslow Skate Manufacturing Company. 

In 1889 the demand for roller skates in the United 
States had, for the time being, ceased, but the company 
exported them to Australia, India, Japan and South 
America, and the demand has revived in this country. 

The capacity of the company in 1889 was twelve 



SKATES 261 

hundred pairs of skates per day, including forty different 
styles of ice skates and fifteen different styles of roller 
skates, which varied in price from fifteen cents to ten 
dollars per pair. 

This company also manufactured at one time an excel- 
lent bicycle, which was sold at a moderate price, and 
which found a ready market for the reason that it was as 
durable as the more expensive machines. 

During the last twenty-five years the variety of ice and 
roller skates has increased threefold, the volume of business 
and number of operatives fourfold. In 1889 the operatives 
were almost exclusively Americans, Irish and French Can- 
adians. Today are added Swedes in large numbers, Armen- 
ians, Assyrians, Italians, Poles, Greeks and Hebrews. 

In 1863 E. W. Vaill, who had previously been in the 
furniture business, engaged in the manufacture of camp- 
chairs, which were in large demand by the army and navy. 
The business was begun at the corner of Main and Wal- 
nut Streets, but in January, 1877, was moved to Union 
Street, the present location of the Massachusetts Corset 
Co. The old water-wheel, which furnished power for 
Ruggles, Nourse and Mason, at Court Mills, supplied 
twenty-eight horse-power for this factory. 

At the close of the war the demand for camp-chairs 
largely decreased, but the principle was carried into all 
variety of chairs, from the plainest to the most expensive. 
Over one hundred different styles were made, many of 
which were patented, and they were sent all over the world. 
February 5, 1889, the E. W. Vaill Chair Manufacturing 
Company was incorporated and succeeded to the business, 
which has since been discontinued. 

The Worcester Gas Light Company was organized 
June 22, 1849, with a capital of $45,000. John W. 
Lincoln was president, and Warren Lazell, agent. 



262 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The works were built in Lincoln Street, and, under date 
of July 23, 1849, the company gives notice in the Wor- 
cester Spy that the works will be ready to supply gas to 
the citizens of Worcester in the following streets, early the 
next fall, viz. : Main Street, from Lincoln Square to Park 
Street, School, Thomas, Exchange, Foster and Mechanic 
Streets, severally, between Main and the railroads; also 
in Front from Main Street to Washington Square, and in 
Pleasant Street from Main to Chestnut Streets. 

Those desirous of becoming consumers of gas were re- 
quested to give early notice at the office of the agent, 205 
Main Street, in order that supply-pipes might be carried 
into their buildings, the pipes to be put in at the expense 
of the company. 

The company was incorporated in 1851; the works 
were enlarged from time to time, and in 1870 were re- 
moved to the present site near the Junction. The older 
residents of Worcester will remember that on December 
16, 1870, escaping gas in the purifying house was ignited 
by a lantern. A serious explosion followed which fatally 
injured Honorable James B. Blake, superintendent of 
the works, who died the following day. 

Mr. Blake was appointed agent and superintendent of 
the works in 1852 which position he held until his death. 
He was elected Mayor in 1865 and re-elected for five 
succeeding years. 

The capacity of the plant as of June 30, 1916, was as 
follows : 

Number of meters in use . . . 32,365 

Miles of gas mains .... 215.01 

Gas sold during previous 12 months, 968,171,000 cu. ft. 
Approximate daily capacity . . 5,000,000 cu. ft. 

Net price of gas to all consumers 75c. per M 

Coke sold during previous 12 months 

13,638 tons of 2,000 lbs. 



GAS AND ELECTRICITY 263 

The present officers are: Dana D. Barnum, president 
and general manager; Francis H. Dewey, vice-president; 
DeWitt Clinton, secretary and treasurer. The manufac- 
ture of water-gas was introduced in October, 1884, the 
company having purchased a license under the patents 
of the Granger Water-Gas Company, of Philadelphia. 
Twenty-five years ago about two per cent of gas was 
used for fuel purposes. At the present time about ninety- 
five per cent of gas used is for its heating value. 

The Worcester Electric Light Company was organized 
in December, 1883, with a Capital of $100,000. The 
members of the first Board of Directors were: Stephen 
Salisbury, Jr., Loring Coes, Thos. M. Rogers, Theodore 
C. Bates, Wm. A. Denholm, Samuel Winslow, Samuel E. 
Hildreth, Chas. B. Whiting, Josiah Pickett, A. B. R. 
Sprague, N. S. Liscomb. 

Business was begun in February, 1884. The first 
report of the Treasurer, made December 31, 1884, showed 
the gross business for the first eleven months as follows : 

Sale of electricity $31,179.43 

Sale of heat 266 . 67 

Total $31,446.10 

For the year from July 1, 1915 to June 30, 1916 
the directors were: R. W. Rollins, president and 
general manager; M. J. Whittall, Edgar Reed, G. T. 
Dewey, W. E. Sibley, F. A. Drury, T. H. Gage, F. L. 
Coes, R. H. Bullock, J. A. Denholm, C. E. Hildreth. F. 
H. Smith is assistant general manager, and H. H. Fair- 
banks, treasurer. The gross income for the year was 
$1,142,075.58; 40,750,690 KW. Hrs. Since July 1, 1916, 
the capital stock has been increased from $1,400,000 to 
$1,600,000. About thirty-seven per cent of the revenues 
of the Company are derived from the commercial use of 



264 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

electricity for power purposes and sixty-three per cent 
from lighting. The works are located on Faraday Street 
and on part of the Albert Curtis property at New 
Worcester. 

There has been no more marvelous advance in the 
industrial field during the last seventy-five years than in 
the development of power. As I have stated, the mills of 
Worcester, prior to 1840, depended exclusively upon 
water or horse power; then the steam engine transmuted 
the water in our ponds and streams into an effective force, 
practically without limit. Later, the gas or explosive 
engine appeared, which has worked a great transforma- 
tion, particularly in the production of power in compara- 
tively small units. The great rival of steam today, however, 
is electricity, generated through dynamos which convert 
the heat units stored in the coal into electrical energy, 
and also the mechanical energy produced in the fall of 
water into electricity which is conveyed through wires 
from the place of development to the point of consump- 
tion, often many miles away. Worcester has taken ad- 
vantage of all these means for obtaining power. 

The New England Power Company operates plants on 
the Deerfield River. 

Water power is purchased from the Metropolitan Water 
and Sewage Board, generated at the Wachusett Reser- 
voir at Clinton, amounting to three thousand KW; and 
from the Turners Falls Power Co., generated at Turners 
Falls, amounting to six thousand KW. 

The New England Power Company also owns a steam 
plant at Uxbridge and leases one at Fitchburg, besides 
having reciprocal contracts with steam stations belong- 
ing to the Fitchburg Gas & Electric Company, the Berk- 
shire Street Railway Company, the Blackstone Valley 
Gas and Electric Company, the Worcester Electric Light 



NEW ENGLAND POWER CO. 265 

Company, the Narragansett Electric Lighting Company 
and various smaller public utilities and industrial cus- 
tomers, having a combined capacity of about 149,200 KW. 
The total capacity is as follows: 

Water plants owned 56,000KW 

Water powers under contract 9,000 

Steam plants owned and leased 8,000 

73,000KW 
Capacity of connecting steam stations, 
having reciprocal contracts 149,200KW 

Total 222,200KW 

The electricity is transmitted by a loop system of steel 
towers carrying double circuits designed for one hundred 
and ten thousand volts. The greatest length of trans- 
mission, at present, is something over one hundred miles. 

In July, 1909, the board of aldermen granted a franchise 
to operate in Worcester. This franchise is limited by 
the Massachusetts Board of Gas and Electric Light Com- 
missioners under their ruling of October 23, 1909, as 
follows : 

"The company may supply electricity to the Worcester 
Electric Light Company, electric railroads and railways, but 
shall not, directly or indirectly, supply electricity to any other 
customer whose motors and apparatus connected for use shall 
be of an aggregate rated capacity of less than three hundred 
electrical horse-power; and whose annual consumption shall be 
less than 450,000 horse-power hours; and all sales of electricity 
and all contracts therefor made by said company, except to 
and with the Worcester Electric Light Company, shall be 
upon the express condition that no purchaser thereof shall, 
directly or indirectly, resell the same or any part thereof; but 
the terms, limitations and restrictions in this paragraph ex- 
pressed may, at the written request of said Transmission Com- 



266 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

pany, or upon the complaint in writing of at least twenty users 
of power in Worcester, from time to time be amended, altered 
or added to by the Board of Gas and Electric Light Commis- 
sioners." 

The rates for electricity, in amounts of three hundred 
horse-power and over, vary from $1.35 per KWH for a 
ten-hour plant to $1.15 for a 24-hour plant. 

The following table shows the total kilowatt hours 
generated from the various power stations, together with 
the actual amount delivered to Worcester users: 

YEAR Total KWH Generated. KWH delivered in Wor. 

1910 34,117,593 9,888,651 

1911 50,171,917 15,090,022 

1912 64,226,101 17,598,554 

1913 98,392,654 18,932,268 

1914 119,622,020 14,963,240 

1915 172,863,764 25,168,536 

1916 240,100,000* 36,900,000* 
Early in the history of the Washburn Shops of the 

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, it was found desirable 
to confine the product as much as possible to articles that 
did not compete with other Worcester manufacturers. 
One of the new lines selected was the plunger elevator, 
so-called, designed by Charles H. Morgan and Milton P. 
Higgins, who operated the first elevator on the premises 
of the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. The first elevator 
installed by the Washburn Shops was in 1870 in the 
building then occupied by Holden Bros., Grocers, at 89 
Front Street, as then numbered or 158-60 as now numbered. 
This type of elevator, particularly for short lifts, be- 
came quite popular because of the ease and safety of its 
operation, and also because of its durability and freedom 
from costly repairs. As the business increased in volume 
there was also a tendency to make passenger elevators. 

♦Estimated from eleven months. 



PLUNGER ELEVATORS 267 

This led to higher speeds and longer runs. Drilling ma- 
chines for drilling rock and other apparatus for sinking 
cylinders in the earth were devised. The business grew 
at the Washburn Shops and proved profitable financially, 
and valuable for the experience it gave the apprentices. 
About the year 1879 a company was formed in Worces- 
ter that proposed to operate under the " Thayer Patent," 
which covered the telescope plunger. This arrangement 
required a cylinder less than the length of the run of the 
elevator. The load that could be lifted, however, was 
diminished in the upper part of the run. The first ele- 
vator of this type had a run of fifty-two feet and had four 
separate moving parts in its plunger. This new company 
also made the regular plunger type in competition with 
the Washburn Shops. This Company went out of busi- 
ness in a few years. The plunger elevator business con- 
tinued at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute until 1896. 
At that time Superintendent Milton P. Higgins resigned 
and a company was formed under the name of the Plunger 
Elevator Company. Milton P. Higgins, president; George 
I. Alden, treasurer, W. F. Cole, general manager. The 
Worcester Polytechnic Institute gave up the elevator 
business and the Plunger Elevator Company carried it 
on at Barbers Crossing for four years. During that 
period the plunger elevator came into greater use as a 
passenger elevator. Plunger elevators were installed in 
the Jewelers Building in Boston, which with other similar 
installations, attracted the attention of the Otis Elevator 
Company. As this company had practically all the pas- 
senger elevator business in the country it acquired the 
Plunger Elevator Company. The business was carried 
on in Worcester by the Otis Company for about six or 
seven years, but through the Plunger Elevator Company 
organization. During this time several large installations 



268 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

of plunger elevators for passenger service were made in 
New York and other places, the largest being a battery 
of some fourteen or more elevators with runs of from one 
hundred and eighty to two hundred and twenty feet. 
The cylinders were set in holes drilled in rock. In April, 
1907, the manufacturing part of the business was removed 
from Worcester. The Otis Company still installs Plunger 
Elevators, and has an office in Worcester, through which 
repair parts may be had or orders for plunger elevators 
may be placed. The growing use and greater perfection of 
electric elevators made by the Otis Company, has de- 
creased the demand for plunger elevators. About 1903 
the Standard Plunger Elevator Company was started in 
Worcester. This company was financed by New York 
capitalists and operated by former employees of the 
Plunger Elevator Company. It is still doing business in 
Worcester on Stafford Street. 

The Mills woven cartridge belt is one of the many in- 
ventions which have been developed in Worcester. The 
inventor was Anson Mills, who, as a captain in the United 
States Army, saw objections to the cartridge belt of 
leather or of canvas with stitched loops; and having in his 
boyhood on a pioneer farm in Indiana " handed in" for 
his mother to weave homespun, he had sufficient knowl- 
edge of weaving to suggest the idea of weaving a fabric, 
part of which should be a belt and the other part, homo- 
geneously woven therewith, loops for carrying cartridges 
upon the outer surface of the belt. The invention was 
made in Paterson, N. J., in 1877, but Captain Mills could 
get no one to encourage him in the building of a loom until 
he came to Worcester and found George Crompton sym- 
pathetic, but unable to take practical interest in the 
invention. Charles W. Gilbert eventually constructed 
the loom under the direction of Mills. 



CARTRIDGE BELTS 269 

The first patent to Mills was granted August 20, 1867, 
and was for a leather cartridge belt. The manufacture 
of the woven belt began in Worcester in 1880, a patent 
on which was issued December 28, 1880, and on the 
same date a patent was issued on the loom for weaving 
the cartridge belt fabric. The business was domiciled 
in Union Street, North Foster Street and Central Street 
for several years, the first manufacturer being Charles W. 
Gilbert, who was succeeded by Thomas C. OrndorfT, a 
brother-in-law of Mills, the inventor. The business was 
confined to the making of cartridge belts for sportsmen 
and small orders for the United States Army until the 
outbreak of the Spanish War, when the plant was greatly 
enlarged in the premises at 51 Union Street, now owned 
and occupied by G. L. Brownell. In 1905, Mills, who had 
become a Brigadier General on the retired list, sold all his 
interest in the cartridge belt business to a corporation, 
which at first continued the business at 51 Union Street, 
and in 1909 removed to a new plant at 70 Webster Street, 
New Worcester. The business has been expanded by the 
invention and manufacture of many articles of equipment, 
for which improvements in small arms and the steadily 
increasing cost of leather have created a demand, so that 
instead of the simple belt originally made by Mills, with 
a single row of loops for cartridges thereon, there are now 
manufactured hundreds of forms of equipment. The 
business has been extended to other countries, Great 
Britain being the first great foreign nation to adopt the 
Mills system for the equipment of soldiers. When started 
in Union Street, this business gave employment to not 
more than half a dozen people and up to the time of the 
Spanish War operated a maximum of ten looms; the 
number now employed varies from one hundred in quiet 
times to three hundred in busy times, operating ninety- 
five looms and accessory machines. 



270 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

All but a small percentage of the output of the Worces- 
ter factory is destined for the use of the regular Army, 
Navy and Marine Corps of the United States and the 
Militia of the several States. Foreign orders are made in 
Worcester only in case of emergency, it being possible to 
produce the same goods in England at fifty per cent of 
the cost of producing them here, due very largely to the 
difference in wages paid. 

The officers of the company are: H. W. Goddard, presi- 
dent; F. R. Batchelder, treasurer and general manager. 

The Wyman-Gordon Company, Manufacturers of 
Forgings, had its beginning in the partnership of H. Win- 
field Wyman, a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Insti- 
tute, class of 1882, son of Horace Wyman, so long identi- 
fied with the loom business, and Lyman F. Gordon, a 
graduate of the same institution, class of 1881, under the 
name of Wyman & Gordon. 

The original building, built on Bradley Street, December, 
1883, was one story, of wooden frame construction, sixty 
feet long, forty feet wide, and contained a forge shop, 
machine shop and office. The business started as a 
manufactory of drop forgings, with two men, one to make 
the dies and the other to make the forgings. Mr. Wyman 
and Mr. Gordon shared the responsibilities of engineer 
and fireman, and were the first to arrive in the morning 
and the last to leave at night. 

Some of the first forgings made were parts of looms, 
such as crank shafts, shuttle box binders and other forg- 
ings used in the manufacture of this class of machinery. 
The shop was equipped with two small drop hammers, 
a very old-fashioned helve or trip hammer and machinery 
adapted to make dies and tools such as a planer, a lathe, 
a die sinking machine and drill. 

From the connection with the loom industry, in 1885 



WYMAN-GORDON CO. 271 

the company started the manufacturing of shuttle irons or 
trimmings for loom shuttles, such as shuttle tips, shuttle 
and bobbin spindles and springs, both in the shape of 
forgings and the finished product. This character of work 
was later abandoned for a heavier grade of forging work, 
and in 1891 the company started to manufacture the steel 
car coupler knuckles which have superseded the old link 
and pin for joining railroad cars. It was in the making 
of these forgings that the necessity was discovered for a 
toughening or heat treating process that would eliminate 
forging strains and brittleness that caused excessive break- 
age in use. As the result of expert advice, the company 
devised a method of heat treating these steel knuckle 
forgings so as to render them practically indestructible. 
From these experiments was developed the first com- 
mercial system of heat treating of materials now in such 
general use in the country and so necessary for use in 
many of the vital parts of the automobile of today. 

In 1891 the company had a force of between thirty-five 
and forty men, and engaged quite extensively in the manu- 
facture of forgings for bicycles, which occupied its atten- 
tion for several years. 

In 1894 the company was engaged in perfecting and 
producing for the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co., later 
American Steel & Wire Company, copper rail bonds for 
the bonding of rails of electric railroads, in connection 
with the regular business of making iron and steel forgings. 

In 1902 the first drop forged crank shaft for an automo- 
bile was made. The experience obtained in the various 
lines of product handled during the previous years, par- 
ticularly the pioneer work in heat treatment, gave the 
company at once a commanding position in supplying the 
demands of the automobile industry. The plants at 
Worcester and Cleveland now represent the largest drop 



272 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

forging industry in the country. A specialty is made of 
the manufacture of intricate and important forgings, such 
as crank shafts, gears, axles, steering knuckles, etc. A 
most extensive chemical and physical testing laboratory 
is maintained. The name of Worcester is associated with 
high-grade crank shafts, a large proportion of those used 
in this country being manufactured here. 

The character of the machinery now required is 
widely different from that used in the early years of the 
business. Small light board drops have been replaced by 
heavy steam hammers with heads running up to twelve 
thousand pounds in weight, and hydraulic presses of 
twelve hundred tons and more capacity. 

In 1894 the plant had a floor space of thirteen thousand 
square feet ; today this has increased to one hundred and 
sixty thousand square feet and there are about five 
hundred and fifty employees. 

Mr. Wyman died in 1905 and Mr. Gordon in 1914. 

The officers of the corporation are George F. Fuller, 
president; H. G. Stoddard, vice-president and treasurer; 
Charles C. Winn, assistant treasurer. 

The works of the Worcester Pressed Steel Company 
are located on the Boston & Maine Railroad, about one- 
eighth of a mile south of Barbers Crossing, Greendale. 
The business was founded in 1883, under the name of 
Worcester Ferrule Manufacturing Company, employ- 
ing twenty hands and occupying eight thousand square 
feet of floor space at 17 Hermon Street. This Company 
manufactured steel and brass stove trimmings, patent 
nickel-plated knobs, hinge pins, towel racks, foot rails, 
steel, iron and brass ferrules, nickel-plated steam pipe 
collars. In 1894 larger quarters were secured at 100 
Beacon Street. 



PRESSED STEEL 273 

In that year the company developed the manufacture 
of bicycle frame fittings in pressed steel, which revolu- 
tionized the cost of bicycles. The company has been a 
pioneer in the development of the pressed steel industry, 
some of the notable inventions being pressed steel ball 
cups for ball bearings now used extensively in automo- 
biles, bicycles, and roller skates. In 1904 the Worcester 
Ferrule Manufacturing Company was bought by the 
Worcester Pressed Steel Company, a corporation organ- 
ized under the laws of Massachusetts, with Milton P. 
Higgins, president; George I. Alden, treasurer; and John 
W. Higgins, secretary and general manager. 

At that time a new department was added for polish- 
ing, nickel-plating and burring. In 1905 six acres of land 
were purchased on the Boston & Maine Railroad, near 
Barbers Crossing, and a mill building two hundred feet 
long by ninety feet wide, two stories high, was erected. 

The company purchased the first oxy-acetylene auto- 
genous welding plant made in this country for commer- 
cial purposes. In this department it has likewise in- 
stalled from time to time every new and practical device 
invented for autogenous welding purposes. In 1908 a 
department was added for cold rolling, shearing and pick- 
ling strip steel. In 1909 a new building one hundred and 
twenty-five feet by thirty-five feet was erected for an- 
nealing and case hardening, a portion of this building 
being used for an iron foundry for making semi-steel 
castings used in die blocks, bolsters and dies. In 1910 
facilities were increased by a new building, ninety feet 
by one hundred feet, two stories, for storage and ship- 
ping departments and general office. In 1912 the company 
erected a new building for the pickling of steel and stamp- 
ings. This building is mill construction, sixty-nine 
by one hundred and eight feet, and contains the most 



274 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

modern equipment for the efficient manipulation of strip 
steel. At the same time an additional eight acres of land 
were acquired to provide room for future development. 

In 1913 and 1914 a new building was erected, ninety 
feet by one hundred and fifty feet, one story, of monitor 
fire-proof steel construction, metal sash and glass. This 
building contains a new rolling mill, which is the only 
three-high cold rolling mill in this country; it also con- 
tains the most modern equipment for the economical 
and efficient rolling, shearing, straightening, polishing, 
slitting and coifing of cold rolled steel. In order to effi- 
ciently manage the cold rolled steel department, which 
has grown by leaps and bounds, a subsidiary company 
has been incorporated under the Laws of Massachusetts, 
to be known as the Worcester Strip Steel Mills Company, 
with John W. Higgins, president and treasurer. The 
controlling interest is owned by the Worcester Pressed 
Steel Company. In order to manufacture and market 
a pressed steel pulley, which has been developed by the 
Worcester Pressed Steel Company, a subsidiary company 
has been incorporated under the Laws of Massachusetts 
under the name of the Worcester Pressed Steel Pulley 
Company, with John W. Higgins as president and treasurer. 
The Worcester Pressed Steel Company own a controlling 
interest in this subsidiary company. John W. Higgins 
is the executive head of all these affiliated industries 

In 1883, J. Fred Wilson, of the class of 1877, W. P. L, 
engaged in the business of metal stamping. Later George 
A. Smith, a nephew of Thomas Smith, metal puncher 
and nut maker, for many years in Cypress Street, joined 
Mr. Wilson in the firm of Wilson & Smith. 

In January, 1906, H. R. Sinclair, W. P. I., 1893, bought 
Mr. Smith's interest. The partnership then formed was 
known as the W. & S. Mfg. Co. ; W. representing Wilson 
and S. both Smith and Sinclair. 



STAMPINGS 275 

Mr. Smith continues in the stamping business under 
the name of George A. Smith Company at 172 Union 
Street. In November, 1910, Mr. Sinclair bought Mr. Wil- 
son's interest and became the sole owner of the business. 
In December, 1916, the business was incorporated as the 
Worcester Stamped Metal Co., with a capital of $150,000. 
H. R. Sinclair is president of the corporation and F. E. 
Billings, treasurer. The company occupies a commodious 
factory, built in 1905, at Hunt, off Shrewsbury Street. 
The Worcester Ferrule Co., now absorbed in the Wor- 
cester Pressed Steel Co., and this business were both 
established in 1883. 

The business of the Hobbs Manufacturing Company 
was begun in Boston in 1889. In 1891 it was brought to 
Worcester, when Clarence W. Hobbs entered into a part- 
nership with Richard Sugden and Harry W. Goddard, both 
of Spencer, and the business was located at 15 Union 
Street in the building now occupied by the Massachusetts 
Corset Company. This partnership continued until 
1894, when on the death of Mr. Sugden the business was 
incorporated, with Mr. Hobbs as president and Mr. God- 
dard as treasurer, they owning all of the stock excepting 
one share by the qualifying director. During the early 
years the business was confined to the manufacture of 
paper box making machinery, for which there was a 
brisk and a growing market, and this branch of the manu- 
facture has been continued to the present time. In 1903 
the quarters on Union Street becoming inadequate, the 
plant and business of the Witherby, Rugg & Richardson 
Company at 26 Salisbury Street was acquired. The 
plant was enlarged by a four-story addition on Prescott 
Street. The manufacture of wood- working machinery 
was carried on in connection with the other business until 
1911, when it was disposed of. In 1910 an addition to the 



276 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

plant fifty by seventy and five stories in height was made 
on the Salisbury Street front, which has since been used 
for storage and shipping purposes. In 1904 there was 
added to the business a line of nut locks made from wire 
by special patented machinery, and this has become a 
very substantial part of the business. In 1910 a large 
interest was acquired in coin-operated machines for the 
sale of postage stamps, tickets, etc. The tariff legislation 
of 1913-14 caused a material restriction in the output of 
paper box making machinery, which will no doubt con- 
tinue until a change in the fiscal policy of the Government 
once more permits the expansion of the protected in- 
dustries in which paper boxes are most largely used. In 
1891 the business employed thirteen operatives, one super- 
intendent and one office clerk, and amounted that year 
to $56,000. In 1910 the output exceeded $450,000, and 
the number of operatives was one hundred and sixty. 
The number of employees in the manufacturing and sales 
departments was one hundred and seventy-five. 

The nationalities employed are chiefly American, Irish, 
and Swedish, except in a piece work department of the 
nut lock division, where Syrians are chiefly employed, 
doubtless because one Syrian found he could make good 
pay and induced his fellow-countrymen to apply for 
work as opportunity offered. 

Allen-Higgins Wall Paper Company was located here 
in 1898 through the immediate efforts of the Board of 
Trade. There was then but one factory, at Chelsea, in 
this industry in New England. Messrs. John P. and 
George W. Allen, and George F. Higgins were the practical 
promoters of the undertaking, and were, in due course, 
assisted by local capital to the amount of about $250,000, 
and a subsequent bond issue of $35,000. 

The plans of the promoters contemplated the manu- 



WALL PAPER 277 

facture of medium, high-grade wall paper. The purpose 
was to avoid, as far as possible, being brought into close 
competition with the large general factories, producing 
goods of cheap grade in an ever-increasing amount, where 
volume is indispensable to compensate for a small margin 
of profit. This policy of the new company was well con- 
sidered and has been productive of good results. Owing, 
apparently, to lack of adaptation of the business organi- 
zation to trade and other conditions the financial success 
of the initial enterprise was not satisfactory. In 1905 a 
re-organization took place. The grade of the product was 
not materially changed, although added emphasis was 
given to special designs of high artistic merit. Financial 
success rewarded the new endeavor. 

The value and volume of the annual product was more 
than doubled. During the past ten years this factory 
has been accorded the foremost place in the trade. Those 
directing its activities have been prompt to avail of ad- 
vanced methods. 

This business does not require a large amount of manual 
labor. About one hundred hands are usually employed, 
mostly men. The mechanics, so-called, including ma- 
chine printers, color mixers and block cutters are all of 
high grade, receiving large wages. This industry is 
strongly unionized throughout the United States. 

The season of productive activity is short, extending 
from about September 1 to April 1. Sampling of a new 
line takes three months additional. A manufacturing 
volume of four million rolls is usually considered a good 
average for a factory of this class, where the printing has 
to be done slowly and with great attention to details. 

Comparatively few of the employees in this industry are 
of American parentage. It is somewhat difficult to ac- 
count for this in view of the type of skilled labor required. 



278 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The market is largely confined to the United States. 
Foreign trade has never reached any considerable volume 
owing mainly to the fact that the sales season here and 
abroad do not correspond. The fact also that a new line 
is sampled every twelve months leaves little time for 
handling duplicate orders at long distances. These are 
conditions which have grown up with the business and 
for which there has as yet appeared no satisfactory remedy. 

The company creates most of its designs. The officers 
are: Albert E. Lyons, president; Frederick Staib, vice- 
president; John Tuck, vice-president; William Woodward, 
treasurer; Albert H. Anderson, secretary. 

Among the many mechanical products of Worcester is 
one that occupies a somewhat unique position, namely 
the labeling machines manufactured by the Economic 
Machinery Company, 72 School Street. Worcester is 
one of the very few cities that contain factories confined 
exclusively to the manufacture of machines for placing 
paper labels on containers of various kinds. The Eco- 
nomic Machinery Company was originally incorporated 
under the laws of West Virginia in 1901, and was engaged 
in manufacturing labeling machines on a somewhat 
small scale previous to that date. Their first product was 
known as the Star Foot Power Labeler, a small machine 
operated, as its name would indicate, by foot-power. A 
number of these machines are in use today. From this 
original machine a simple power machine was developed 
and later a machine that would place body and neck 
labels on the same package at one operation. Previous 
to this time there had been a number of machines that 
placed one label at a time. Where it was necessary to 
place an additional label on the bottle, it was done by 
hand, or the bottle was passed from the first machine 
to a second machine, for the second labeling operation. 



AUTOMATIC LABELER 279 

The placing of two labels at one operation, by the Eco- 
nomic Machinery Company's World Labeler, was a great 
economic gain. 

The company originally occupied a small amount of 
rented space. It now occupies forty thousand square 
feet in its own plant, the old Lombard factory, at the 
corner of School and Union Streets. After the first World 
Labeler had been in operation for several years, a machine 
following the same general lines, but combining numerous 
improvements, was produced; this was called the World 
Labeler, Improved. Special devices were later developed 
for use on this improved machine that, for the first time, 
made it possible to place a label around the entire surface 
of a bottle. Another adaptation of this machine is the 
Center Gum World Labeler, adapted for bottles having 
flat surfaces, it being necessary on this type of bottle 
to gum the entire back surface of the label. The Center 
Gum machine is, with the exception of two machines not 
largely used, the only one doing this work. 

One of the more recent products is called World Labeler, 
Junior. It is a simply constructed, very durable machine, 
designed especially for the smaller plants. It is limited 
to the placing of a single label and was immediately suc- 
cessful with the class of trade it was designed for. 

The scope of the machines has been gradually enlarged 
until there is hardly a single variety of glass package, 
bearing paper labels, that is not manipulated by some 
kind of a World Labeler. An entirely new machine has 
recently been brought out called World Automatic Rotary 
Labeler and is designed to do the work of three standard 
type hand-fed machines. This machine is fully auto- 
matic and will give an output with one operator, of from 
ninety to one hundred and twenty bottles a minute, 
bearing body and neck labels. 



280 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Because of the fact that machines are as a rule operated 
in plants where they can not be given the necessary at- 
tention by competent mechanics, a Service Department 
has been developed. Inspectors are constantly covering 
the entire country and Canada. It is their business to 
call upon all users of the World Labeler, and to make a 
careful inspection of machines giving such instructions 
and making such adjustments as are necessary in order 
to insure the greatest efficiency. Branch offices are main- 
tained in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, with 
agencies in Atlanta, Ga., Jacksonville, Fla., Fort Smith, 
Ark., San Francisco, Cal., and Portland, Ore. Salesmen 
traveling as direct representatives from the home office, 
cover the sections of the United States and Canada, not 
taken care of by the branch offices and agencies. The 
officers of the company are: D. W. Gurnett, of Boston, 
president; Arthur J. Wallace, secretary- treasurer and 
general manager; Herman Stake, vice-president and 
works manager. The late Frank O. Woodland was at 
one time vice-president. The officers of the company, 
George Putnam and Carl Bonney constitute the Board 
of Directors. 

The 0. & J. Machine Company, 116 Gold Street, man- 
ufacture an automatic labeling machine. 
1 | The fire loss in the United States of America during the 
past ten years has remained substantially constant, the 
destruction totalling in round numbers two hundred 
million dollars annually. This is, roughly speaking, ten 
times the rate at which fire destroys property in any 
European country. This is true notwithstanding the 
superior cost and efficiency of our city fire departments. 
The reasons for the preeminence of America in this regard 
are principally two: first — inferior building laws; and 
second — carelessness in setting fires by such agencies as 
matches and cigarettes. 



AUTOMATIC SPRINKLERS 281 

The Fire Underwriters, both Stock and Mill Mutual, 
have recognized for many years the extent of the Ameri- 
can fire loss and have done much to diminish it through the 
scientific investigation of fire resistive building construc- 
tion and the development of automatic fire extinguishing 
apparatus; so that, while the total fire loss per annum has 
not been diminished, it is relatively much less than for- 
merly, as the total property values have enormously 
increased, while the loss has remained stationary. 

It was not, however, until the introduction of the auto- 
matic sprinkler, by far the most important of all fire 
protection devices, that any real headway was made in 
the reduction of the fire loss. This was due to the diffi- 
culty of throwing water on the seat of the fire at its very 
inception through the agency of such simple means as 
water pails, stand pipes and hose. Still less could outside 
hose service do more than prevent the spreading of fire 
to surrounding premises. 

It has been a saying with fire experts that the presence 
of a man with a pail of water at the moment a fire was 
lighted would suffice to control almost any fire that ever 
started. The automatic sprinkler does mechanically, 
by night or by day, what the alert man with the pail of 
water could as easily do if he were on hand when fire 
starts. 

Early types of automatic sprinklers were crude and 
unreliable, but now, after a period of nearly forty years 
of use, they have been so perfected that little improve- 
ment remains to be desired. The thorough tests made in 
insurance laboratories, the advice given as a result of these 
tests, and the study they involve, together with the work 
of a number of inventors, have achieved this result; but 
the rebate in the cost of insurance allowed by the Insur- 



282 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

ance Companies for sprinkler protection was undoubtedly 
the most powerful factor in the growth of the business, 
which is now of large proportions. 

While the first practical automatic sprinkler was 
designed in England it may be considered an American 
invention, for the first sprinkler to be used in practice was 
invented here and most of the early development took 
place in this country. 

Oversight in the manufacture of automatic sprinkler 
devices by the Insurance interests has been brought to 
such a point that it may be truly said to have reached 
practical perfection. 

An automatic sprinkler may be defined as a device 
which, when heated to a predetermined point, will auto- 
matically release and distribute a stream of water. 

Patent records show that over four hundred and fifty 
patents have been taken out in the United States since 
1872, and there have probably been a great many more 
inventions than have ever been patented, yet out of this 
vast array there are today on the approved list of the 
National Board of Fire Underwriters only six surviving 
sprinklers. There are a large number that have been 
quite practical and used in years past, but which have 
been superceded by improved types and gradually elimi- 
nated from use. 

The Rockwood Sprinkler Company is a Massachusetts 
Corporation formed in 1906 to manufacture Rockwood 
Automatic Fire Sprinkler Devices, and also to enter the 
fire protection engineering and contracting field as con- 
tractors for the design and installation of complete fire 
sprinkler systems in all classes of buildings throughout 
the United States and Canada. 

The Company operates under the now well known 
Rockwood patents, and its apparatus has the formal 



ROCKWOOD SPRINKLER CO. 283 

approval of both the National Board of Fire Under- 
writers and the Associated Factory Mutual Fire 
Insurance Companies. 

In addition to the Rockwood Automatic Sprinkler 
Head, the Rockwood Automatic Dry Pipe Valve, and the 
Rockwood Variable Pressure Alarm Valve, the company 
manufactures the Rockwood and Carlson Beam Clamps 
and Pipe Hangers in all sizes ; the Carlson Concrete Hanger 
Blocks; Piper's Bench Vises; Extension Drilling and 
Tapping Machines; Special Pipe Bending Work; and 
Special Pressed Metal Work, and a full line, from one- 
eighth inch to three inch, of Rockwood Bronze Seat 
Pressed Steel Pipe Unions. 

During the past ten years all of the above devices have 
been manufactured and thoroughly tried out in use on a 
large scale. The mechanical methods and tools used 
have been perfected to the highest possible degree ac- 
cording to the most modern and expert ideas. The object 
has been, first, to secure 100% of absolute accuracy in 
their reduplication according to fixed models, and, second, 
as much economy of labor as is consistent in attaining 
such accuracy. This policy, faithfully carried out, has 
earned for the Company the good will of the Underwriters 
as well as of the public, and lies at the base of its business 
success. 

Starting as it did nine years ago with but $10,000 
capital, the number of sprinklers made and erected all 
over the United States and Canada is now in the millions. 

Over $100,000.00 has been spent on machinery and 
tools; the Company owns $150,000.00 worth of real 
estate; has several hundred thousand dollars worth of 
present contracts on hand; and has total assets in excess 
of half a million dollars. 

The Company operates a large selling office and con- 



284 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

structing force of men in New York City, another one in 
Boston, others in Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, Minneap- 
olis, Buffalo, Seattle and Canada. 

The volume of its business is over sixteen hundred 
thousand dollars a year. Its total losses in nine years of 
business, due to uncollected debts receivable has been 
less than twenty thousand dollars. It has an outstanding 
issue of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars of Pre- 
ferred Stock on which it pays 7% interest, and which has 
at all times been many thousands of dollars less than the 
liquid assets of the Company. It employes an average of 
five hundred persons. 

Its Worcester Plant occupies an area of six acres of 
land, served by a spur track on the Boston & Maine 
Railroad on the corner of Harlow and Crescent Streets. 
Its Chicago plant is situated on the Belt Railroad. 

The articles manufactured by the Rockwood Sprinkler 
Company are shipped not only all over this continent, 
but to its agents in all the countries of Europe and Asia. 

The officers of the Company are: George I. Rockwood, 
president and treasurer; John P. Ashey, 'vice-president; 
Halford W. Park, secretary. Among its officers and 
engineers there are nine graduates of the Worcester Poly- 
technic Institute. A large part of the manufacturing 
success which this Company has enjoyed, so Mr. Rock- 
wood has told me, has been due to the ingenuity and 
ability of its General Superintendent, Hjalmar G. Carlson. 

Whitney Manufacturing Company grew out of the 
Edward Whitney Company. Edward Whitney Company 
was engaged in the wholesale stationery business begun 
in Worcester about 1860 by the late Edward Whitney. 
This company sold its merchandise in Worcester and New 
England. 



STATIONERY— DYE WORKS 285 

In November, 1899, Whitney Manufacturing Company 
was established. This change was made for the purpose 
of manufacturing fine stationery. Room was secured at 
7 Vine Street and the beginning was made with about 
ten or twelve employees. Within four or five years the 
amount of room occupied was increased fourfold and the 
number of employees was increased to about sixty. 

During the year 1911 the company bought land in 
Greendale from the Trustees of the Art Museum and 
built the present factory which was occupied in January, 
1913. The business could be carried on here under ideal 
conditions of light, air and railroad facilities. The present 
number of employees is about one hundred. The com- 
pany manufactures a fine grade of ladies 7 stationery and 
its produce is sold all over the United States. The busi- 
ness is owned and managed by Edward C. Whitney and 
his brother, Harry S. Whitney, W. P. I., class of 1894. 

At an early day, at the old Fox Mills on Green Street, 
Pierce Ryan was engaged in the business of dyeing. 

The business of the Worcester Bleach and Dye Works 
Company was started by Messrs. Taft and Wheeler in 
1865 at the corner of Southgate and Gardner Streets. 
It was then known as the Springside Dye Works. In 
1868 the company was taken over by a new firm under 
the name of Hackett & Healey. In 1870 the business 
was purchased by George F. Orr and Neil Walker. In 
1873 Mr. Walker retired and his interest was purchased 
by Peter Wood. The firm name was changed to Worces- 
ter Bleach and Dye Works. This company continued in 
the original location at the corner of Southgate and 
Gardner Streets until 1879, when the business was moved 
into a wooden building on Grove Street, adjoining on the 
north works of The Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. In 1888 
the business was moved to a new plant on Fremont St. 



286 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

In the year 1892 the company was incorporated under 
the laws of the State of Massachusetts and is engaged, 
among other things, in the bleaching, dyeing and mercer- 
izing of cotton yarns in skeins and warps, also in the glaz- 
ing of cotton yarns. James E. Orr is the president and 
treasurer of the company. 

It is not my purpose to say anything of the contractors 
and builders of Worcester, prominent as they have been, 
because the subject is not included within the somewhat 
limited area of investigation which I have attempted to 
cover. I will, however, because of the great genius of 
Orlando W. Norcross, now in his seventy-eighth year, 
mention the fact that he and his brother James began 
business in Swampscott, Massachusetts, in 1864. In 
1866 they took their first contract of any importance, the 
building of the Congregational Church in Leicester. 
Since that time that firm and its successor, Norcross 
Brothers Company, have built many schoolhouses, 
business blocks, churches, public buildings, club-houses, 
monuments, memorial buildings, and private residences 
in all parts of the country. The main office of the corpora- 
tion has always been in Worcester. When I wrote my 
article upon the Manufacturing and Mechanical Indus- 
tries of Worcester in 1889, I did not attempt, nor shall 
I now, to give an extended account of all of them; 
a list of these can always be found in the current direc- 
tories. I will refer, however, to some of the industries 
which I have not named heretofore and which I men- 
tioned in the article of 1889; some of them have dis- 
appeared, others continue individually, or are merged 
with other concerns. 

The American Awl Company, 195 Front Street, was, 
in 1889, a manufacturer and dealer in raw-hide mallets, 
wax thread, needles, lasting-machine awls, wax thread 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 287 

awls, Bigelow heeling awls, Bigelow heeling drivers, New 
Era drivers, New Era pegging awls, Varney pegging awls, 
Varney drivers, German pegging drivers, German pegging 
awls, shoe-knives, shoe-shaves. 

J. McCarty, 19 Church Street, was proprietor of the 
National Awl Company; established 1878, and made 
machine awls for pegging-machines. The business still 
continues. 

Sumner Packard & Co., of Grafton, made the first 
machine awls for boot and shoe pegging machines. 

W. F. Burgess & Co. made band saws at 66 School 
Street in 1889. A. E. Cunningham, 23 Hudson Street, 
now makes hand and jig saw blades, and brazing, setting 
and filing machines for band saws. 

In 1828 Wheelock & Rice manufactured nuts and 
washers at the machine shop then recently occupied by 
William Hovey. 

In 1839 H. W. Miller was engaged in this business. 

In 1855 the late Thomas Smith and William Conkey 
bought of J. and J. C. Brown and George Dryden their 
tools and interest in the manufacture of nuts and washers, 
chain links, etc., and fitted up a shop in Cypress Street, 
Merrifield's building. In 1859 they employed four hands 
making patent bit pieces and doing cold punching. Mr. 
Smith was an iron-worker in Worcester for many years; 
he made the first die in the world to make a mowing- 
machine knife. He manufactured bolts, nuts, rods, 
building irons for houses, bridges, cold iron punching. 
In 1835 Mr. Smith worked for Phelps & Bickford, in 
Grove Street, and worked on the first looms built for 
William Crompton in this country. The business is 
now carried on at 13 Cypress Street by the Thomas 
Smith Company, Estate of Frank W. Foye, proprietors. 

J. Fred Wilson, class of 1877, W. P. I., in 1889, made 



288 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

cold punched nuts, washers, chain links, etc. He was one 
of the founders of the W. & S. Mfg. Co., now the Wor- 
cester Stamped Metal Co. 

Lasts were made by Porter and Gardner, Foster Street, 
now S. Porter & Co., Inc., 25 Union St., Walter E. 
Bigelow, president and treasurer. 

Wooden boxes were made by Baker & Co., 82 Foster 
Street, and are now made at the same place by Baker 
Box Co., Charles Baker, treasurer. 

There was a brewery in Worcester in 1822. Sixty- two 
and one-half cents a bushel was paid for barley delivered 
at the brewery. In 1827 the Worcester Distillery offers 
for sale New England rum, molasses, cider brandy, high 
wines. 

Bowler Brothers, Quinsigamond Avenue, corner La- 
fayette Street, established the business of brewing ale 
and porter in 1883. 

The Worcester Brewing Corporation has a plant at 
75 East Worcester Street. 

Ellis Thayer manufactured brushes in Worcester in 
1849. In 1869 the firm became Thayer & Mason; in 
1878 the late J. Fred Mason became proprietor. He 
manufactured brushes of all descriptions. The business 
continues under the name of Mason Brush Works, 
Charles A. O'Neil, agent. 

The Coates Clipper Mfg. Co was located in 1889 at 
237 Chandler St. The business continues at the same 
place. George H. Coates, president; B. Austin Coates, 
treasurer. 

In 1889 Harry W. Smith was making fine dress ging- 
hams at Wachusett Mills. 

Loring Coes & Co., now Loring Coes & Co., Inc., Coes 
and Mill Streets, have for many years manufactured ma- 
chine knives, cutter-plate for dies for leather, cloth and 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 289 

paper; moulding cutter-plate for wood, marble, etc.; all 
kinds and sizes of shear plates, and strips for cotton and 
woolen machinery. 

L. Hardy & Co., now L. Hardy Co., C. H. Bliss, presi- 
dent and treasurer, 9 Mill Street, manufacture machine 
knives, straight cutter ensilage, lawn-mower, meat- 
cutter, cork-cutter, rag-cutter and bone knives; shear- 
blades and strips for cotton and woolen goods. Also 
die cutter stock for boots and shoes; all kinds of welded 
stock rolled to any thickness from fourteen gauge to 
three-quarters inch thick. Wood-working machine- 
knives, planers, moulding-knives, and blanks; paper- 
cutting, leather-splitting and stripping-knives. 

The Phenix Plate Company manufactures Phenix 
gelatine dry-plate, argentic plate for positive pictures, 
ebonized and maroon wood and metal panels; also ja- 
panned iron and tinned sheets of all sizes for painters and 
lithographers. The plant has for many years been at 286 
Park Avenue. 

In 1889 the Worcester Ferrule Manufacturing Co., man- 
ufactured steel and brass stove trimmings, patent nickel- 
plated knobs, hinge-pins, towel-racks, foot-rails, steel, 
iron and brass ferrules, nickel-plated steam-pipe collars, 
at 17 Hermon Street. The company is now merged in 
the Worcester Pressed Steel Co. 

In 1889 Somers Brothers were making tacks and 
Hungarian nails. Shoe tacks a specialty. They located 
here because of the large amount of boot-making, and 
were running seventeen machines, and were the only 
concern of the kind in the city. They used tack machines 
invented by Thomas Blanchard, of Sutton. 

In 1889 hosiery was made by the Holland Hosiery 
Company at 194 Front Street, and is now manufactured 
by the Aetna Hosiery Co., at 40 Vine Street. 



290 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Loom reeds for cotton, woolen, carpet and wire cloth 
mills were made in 1889 by John Whitaker, 194 Front 
Street. The business was established in 1869. 

The Whitaker Reed Company, 84 Austin Street, now 
makes loom reeds of every description; also belt hooks 
and mill wire goods. The officers of the corporation are: 
J. T. Brierly, president; C. H. Streeter, treasurer; C. R. 
Simmons, superintendent. 

In 1889 E. D. Cunningham made saws at 23 Hudson 
Street. Now, at the same location, A. E. Cunningham 
manufactures band and jig saw blades, brazing, setting 
and filing machines for band saws. 

The late George C. Whitney commenced the business 
now operated under the name of The Geo. C. Whitney 
Co. in a small house in East Rutland, Massachusetts. 

He worked in connection with his brother, Sumner 
Whitney, and together they afterwards transferred the 
business to a small cottage house, which is now standing, 
86 Elm Street, near the corner of Fruit. 

In 1866 Sumner Whitney retired and another brother, 
Edward C. Whitney, succeeded, who after three or four 
years retired. 

George C. Whitney conducted the business in three 
different locations in Worcester during the next few years, 
one of them over Rawson's Cigar Store near the corner of 
Mechanic and Main Streets, the second in the upper 
floors of the block formerly occupied by the Clark-Sawyer 
Co., and later in the block at 184 Front Street. 

During these years prior to 1898 Mr. Whitney bought 
out at least eight or ten competitors in this section of the 
country, and in that year the business was moved to the 
present location, 67 Union Street. At the time the busi- 
ness was conducted on Elm Street there were two employ- 
ees. At the present time there are about four hundred 



VALENTINES 291 

and fifty. The product includes cards, booklets, post 
cards and novelties for the Halloween, Christmas, New 
Year, Valentine and Easter seasons, calendars and calen- 
dar pads. The date of the death of George C. Whitney 
was November 7, 1915. He was succeeded by his son, 
Warren A. Whitney, who is president and treasurer of the 
corporation. 

In 1858 a water meter was invented by Dr. E. D. 
Wetherbee, and manufactured by D. Newton, gunsmith. 
The Union Water Meter Company was established 
November, 1868, by Messrs. Fitts, John C. Otis, and 
Phineas Ball, and employed sixty hands. The meters 
were in use all over the country, and some in England 
and Germany. The product was covered by patents. 
The business is now conducted by the same company at 
31 Hermon Street. 



292 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



CHAPTER X 

Reasons for Worcester's Prominence as a Manufacturing City — Room 
with Power for Rent — Merrifield Building — Heywood Building — Estabrook 
Building — Enterprise of Worcester's Business Men — Mechanics' Associa- 
tion — Worcester Polytechnic Institute — Washburn Shops — Boys Trade 
School — The Laboring Classes — Evening Schools — Worcester's Rapid Growth 
— Heart of the Commonwealth. 

It has frequently been said that Worcester owes her 
prominence as a manufacturing center to the unusual 
opportunities offered to mechanics to begin business in a 
small way, and without incurring the risk incident upon 
the erection and equipment of a shop. Indeed, had this 
not been the case many individuals, companies and 
corporations doing today a prosperous business would 
never have started. Many instances might be given of 
individuals who have begun with one machine, gradually 
increasing their business out of the profits realized from 
day to day, until it has reached considerable magnitude. 
Growth of this kind is likely to be permanent. 

It would be almost literally true to say that there is 
no large manufacturing business long established in Wor- 
cester that has not at some time in its history been situated 
in one or another of the buildings erected for rent with 
power to a number of tenants. There are some excep- 
tions, but they are few. An idea of the number of indus- 
tries begun in this way may be obtained by noticing the 
occupants of the buildings erected for the accommodation 
of those engaging in mechanical pursuits. 

The old Court Mill had been built some years when, 
in 1832, Samuel Davis leased it from Mr. Salisbury. 
Among the tenants here at one time or another were L. 
& A. G. Coes, builders of woolen-spinning machinery, 



COURT MILL 293 

and subsequently, manufacturers of wrenches; Ruggles, 
Nourse & Mason, manufacturers of agricultural imple- 
ments; H. W. Miller, punching machines for manufactur- 
ing nuts and washers; Thomas E. Daniels, builder of the 
planing-machine; Samuel Flagg, pioneer in the machinists' 
tools business in Worcester. The old building was burned 
in October, 1839, and Mr. Salisbury made a contract 
with W. T. Merrifield to rebuild the mill by January 1, 
1840. Ruggles, Nourse & Mason had threatened to move 
out of town unless it were finished by that time. After 
the foundations were in, Mr. Salisbury thought the build- 
ing could not be completed in the winter, and offered to 
release Mr. Merrifield from the contract, but Mr. Merri- 
field went ahead, although Worcester masons refused to 
lay brick in the winter, and he was compelled to bring 
masons from Boston to do the work. The building was 
completed by January first. 

Then came the Dr. Heywood building in Central Street, 
occupied by a number of firms, among them Samuel 
Flagg & Company and S. C. Coombs & Company, who 
established the business later conducted by the Lathe 
& Morse Tool Company. The late W. T. Merrifield occu- 
pied the present location of the Merrifield buildings in 
1835; soon after he used a horse to furnish power to run a 
circular saw and a Daniels planer. In 1840 he put in an 
engine. The first brick building for tenants was erected 
in 1847, and additions were made to it every year until 
the fire of 1854, when the following were among the 
occupants: William R. Bliss, bootmaker; Town & Com- 
pany, perforated board; Hovey & Lazell, straw-cutters; 
E. F. Dixon, wrenches; Lamb & Foster, carpenters; 
Williams, Rich & Company, machinists; Samuel Flagg 
& Company, machinists' tools; Prouty & Allen, shoe 
tacks; Daniel Tainter, wool machinery; C. Hovey & 



294 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Company, straw-cutters; C. Whitcomb & Company, 
machinists' tools; Charles E. Wilder, boot and shoe ma- 
chines ; H. Palmer & Company, box-makers ; Towne & Har- 
rington, portemonnaies; N. B. Jewett, seraphine-maker ; 
Thayer, Houghton & Company, machinists' tools; Fur- 
bush & Crompton, fancy looms; Richards & Smith, sash 
and blinds; Luther White, machinist; F. J. Gouche, 
plane-maker; Isaac Fiske, musical instruments; A. 
Sampson, wheelwright; S. G. Reed, wheelwright; Wor- 
cester Knitting Company; Worcester Machine Company; 
George Dryden, machinist; Hood, Battell & Company, 
sewing machines; Edward Lawrence, tool-maker; Daniel 
Palmer, box maker; Howard Holden, grist-mill; Rodney 
A. M. Johnson & Company, wool-spinning machinery. 

When rebuilt, the buildings measured over eleven 
hundred feet in length, fifty feet in width, and three stories 
in height ; the area of the floors was over four acres and a 
half; the power was obtained from a three hundred and 
fifty horse-power engine. In 1859 Mr. Merrifield had 
leased rooms and power in his buildings to over fifty 
firms, each employing from two to eighty employees 
Among them: — 

Alzirus Brown, on the corner of Union and Exchange 
Streets, who, with fifty hands, engaged in the manufacture 
of Manny's Patent Mower and Reaper combined. Daniel 
Tainter, in Union Street, employed thirty hands in mak- 
ing woolen-carding machines and jacks. Johnson & Co. 
employed twenty hands making jacks for woolen machin- 
ery. Richardson & Mawhinney, in the same street, 
employed twenty-four hands on lasts and boot-trees. 
L. W. Pond occupied about two hundred feet of the first 
floor, under the preceding, for the manufacture of engine- 
lathes, planing machines, etc., employing twenty-seven 
hands. He had a lathe thirty-seven feet long, capable of 



MERRIFIELD BUILDING 295 

cutting screws of any length from one to thirty-three 
feet. He also used the largest and heaviest planing ma- 
chine in the city, thirty-seven feet long, six feet wide and 
four feet high, weighing forty tons. 

Prouty & Allen, in the room north of Mr. Pond, em- 
ployed from five to six hands in making iron or zinc shoe 
nails, of which they produced from one thousand to 
twelve hundred pounds per day. Battelle & Co., in the 
third story, had five hands engaged in the manufacture 
of sewing machines. J. L. & I. N. Keyes, on the east side 
of Union Street, did an extensive business, with eighteen 
hands, in board-planing. Hamilton Holt, in rooms over 
them, had four hands engaged in making patent gutters 
or conductors of water from the roofs of buildings. C. 
Whitcomb & Co. were doing a good business making 
machinists' tools and letter-copying presses, and em- 
ployed fifteen hands. Towne & Harrington, with ten 
hands, made mowing-machine knives. Dresser & Wilson 
had about six hands making Jillson's patent animal-traps, 
manufacturing two hundred per day. S. G. Reed & Co., 
in Cypress Street, employed twenty hands in making 
carriage wheels and wheel-spokes of all kinds. 

George F. Rice employed ten hands in the manufac- 
ture of Hovey's patent hay-cutters, corn-shellers and win- 
nowing-mills, and a very superior article of boring- 
machine of his own invention. Joel W. Upham had from 
six to eight hands engaged in making very large water- 
wheels for manufacturing establishments, averaging from 
twenty to thirty per year. Isaac Fiske employed six 
hands making musical wind instruments. D. D. Allen & 
Co. manufactured boot forms. S. C. & S. Winslow 
employed from six to twelve hands in gear-cutting and 
light jobbing. Thomas Smith & Co. had four hands 
making patent bit-pieces and doing cold punching. 



296 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The Machine Lathe Company in Exchange Street, 
of which Jason Chapin was president and A. L. Bur- 
bank treasurer, employed seven hands making bedstead 
lathes and in iron job work. Charles E. Staples, 
with seven hands, made bit-stocks and window springs, 
and did light jobbing. Charles E. Wilder employed a 
few hands in the manufacture of boot-crimping machines. 
Franklin Wesson had three hands engaged in gun manu- 
facture. P. Goulding with six hands, on the opposite 
side of the street, made thirty dozens of shuttles per week. 
U. T. and C. H. Smith made chair lathes and did jobbing, 
employing four hands. William H. Brown had a jobbing 
shop with three or more hands. 

Meantime Colonel James Estabrook and Charles Wood 
in 1851, erected the stone building at the Junction, later 
occupied by the Knowles' Loom Works. Wood, Light 
& Co. were to occupy part of it, and the rest of the 
building was to be rented to tenants. Shepard, Lathe 
& Co. moved into the north end of the building very 
shortly after the occupancy of Wood, Light & Co. 
In 1857 Mr. Wood disposed of his interest to Colonel 
Estabrook. 

The main building was four hundred and fifty feet long 
by fifty feet wide, and three stories high; another building 
used for a forge shop and other work, two hundred by 
forty; power was furnished by two fifty-horse-power 
engines, made by Corliss & Nightingale, of Providence. 
Among the tenants were Wood, Light & Co., who occupied 
the two lower stories in the south end of the main building 
for the manufacture of machinists' tools, water-wheels, 
mill works, castings. J. A. Fay & Co. occupied a hundred 
feet on the second floor, manufacturing wood-working 
machinery, employing thirty hands. Joseph Barrett 
& Co., in the south end of the second floor, employed 



ESTABROOK BUILDING 297 

twenty hands in the manufacture of calico-printing 
machinery, Woodworth's planing machines, machinist's 
tools, etc. Shepard, Lathe & Morse occupied one hundred 
feet of the first floor under the preceding, and manufac- 
tured engine-lathes and iron-planing machines. Whitte- 
more Brothers, in the upper story, employed twenty 
hands in manufacturing machines for paring, coring and 
slicing apples. The American Steam Music Company 
manufactured calliopes and terpsichoreans. Heywood 
& March made Holbrookes automatic bank-locks. David 
McFarland made card-setting machines. A. F. Henshaw 
manufactured machinists' tools and bonnet machinery. 

Conspicuous among the buildings now available for 
renting in sections of varying size with power may be 
mentioned: The Osgood Bradley Building, Grafton cor- 
ner of Franklin Street, The Graphic Arts Building, 
Commercial Street corner of Foster, occupied in 1913 
largely by printers, publishers and book binders, and the 
Burgess-Lang Building on Commercial Street. There 
are about twenty tenants in this building, the rental is 
uniform, twenty cents per square foot except the base- 
ment. Heat and power are extra. All the power is pur- 
chased from Worcester Electric Light Co. 

Stephen Salisbury, Sr., and his son, Stephen Salisbury, 
were of great assistance to the manufacturers of Wor- 
cester because of their willingness to build and lease factory 
buildings, most, if not all, of which were ultimately sold 
to the lessees. Their efforts in this direction were con- 
fined largely, but not exclusively, to Union Street. 

Stephen Salisbury built the Grove Street Wire Mill 
for Ichabod Washburn. In 1834 and 1844 additions were 
made at a cost of fifteen thousand, five hundred and sixty 
dollars and a brick addition in 1850 at a cost of fifty-nine 
thousand, five hundred and thirty-nine dollars. 



298 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

He built the building in Prescott Street, in 1874, for 
the Ames Plow Company, at a cost of ninety-eight thou- 
sand, eight hundred and twenty-three dollars. The fac- 
tory at 15 Union Street, occupied in whole or in part from 
April 1, 1877, until February 1, 1891, by the E. W. Vaill 
Chair Co.; Hobbs Mfg. Co., 1891 to 1900; Flexible Door 
and Shuttle Co., 1892-1897; Worcester Corset Co., Wash- 
burn-Moen Mfg. Co., in making furniture springs; W. P. 
Guy and Guy Bros., 1892-1893; Mason and Risch, for 
dry house purposes, 1892 and 1898-1899; John E. Lan- 
caster in the manufacture of corsets, 1894-1898; Hatch 
and Barnes, December 18, 1896 to 1898; Prouty Press, 
1897-1898; Globe Corset Co., John E. Lancaster, treas- 
urer, 1898-1900; Vocalion Organ Co., 1900, for a dry 
house only. The building was sold to John E. Lancaster 
in 1900 and is now occupied by Massachusetts Corset 
Co. and American Narrow Fabric Co. 19 Union Street 
was leased to Loring-Blake Co., organ builders, from 
July 1, 1877 to 1887. The lease was extended to July 1, 
1892, and the building was occupied by this company 
until December 1, 1896. It was purchased by the Na- 
tional Mfg. Co., March 5, 1897. In 1916, that company 
was acquired by the Morgan Spring Company. 

The Summer Street building across the railroad track 
connected with 15 Union Street was leased to the E. W. 
Vaill Company from October 1, 1880, to October 1, 1890, 
and was occupied successively by Mason-Risch Company, 
September 1, 1889-1898; Vocalion Organ Co., 1889-1903; 
Worcester Loom Company, Multiple Woven Hose Com- 
pany. The building was sold to John E. Lancaster, Treas- 
urer, December 1, 1904, and is at present occupied by 
the Worcester Loom Company. 

16 Union Street, built by Stephen Salisbury, Jr., 
was occupied by Jacobs & Clarke in 1882-1883, later 



STEPHEN SALISBURY 299 

by G. L. Brownell, and Logan, Swift and Brigham, and 
was sold to The Wire Goods Company, March 1, 1892. 

25 Union Street was leased to Monroe Organ Reed 
Company from January 1, 1880, to January 1, 1890; 
Porter and Gardner, last manufacturers, July 1, 1890- 
1895; S. Porter & Company, Inc., from then to the 
present time. In 1896 it was occupied by the last named 
and Rawson and Ramsdell Company and the Decker 
Company. The building was sold to G. L. Brownell, 
July, 1903, and at the present time is occupied by S. 
Porter & Company, last manufacturers, and H. L. Han- 
son, metal stampings. 

The building, 49 Union Street, corner of Market Street, 
was built in 1882 for the Worcester Barb Fence Company 
at a cost of fifty-five thousand, seven hundred and nine- 
teen dollars. I remember that I made the arrangement 
with Mr. Salisbury, Sr., who wrote the lease in his own 
hand, as was his custom. For some time the Monroe 
Organ Reed Company leased the top floor for the Vocalion 
business. The building was leased to the Washburn & 
Moen Mfg. Co. from April 1, 1883 when that company 
acquired the Worcester Barb Fence Co., to 1893, and was 
occupied by them more or less of the time until 1898, 
when it was occupied by G. L. Brownell, who purchased 
it March 18, 1908. 

20 Union Street was built by Stephen Salisbury, 
Jr. It was leased to The Wire Goods Company from 
October 15, 1884, and was bought by that company March 
1, 1892. 

All these factories were built by the late Henry W. Eddy. 

The means thus afforded to individuals with limited 
capital to begin manufacturing unencumbered with an 
expensive plant, making it possible for a small business 
to be conducted with profit, is one of the chief causes of 



300 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

the diversity of industries which makes Worcester uni- 
formly prosperous, and creates a thrifty and permanent 
class of working-people. 

In striking contrast are some other New England cities, 
confined almost entirely to a single industry, and with a 
large unsettled population of mill operatives, the business 
conducted by corporations, owned by non-resident stock- 
holders and under a non-resident management. With 
such conditions, the prosperity of the community is un- 
certain, largely a matter of chance. In good years the 
dividends declared are not invested where they are earned, 
while in bad years the immediate community suffers, 
want soon overtakes the working-people and crime fol- 
lows in the wake of cold and hunger. 

It is true that there are corporations in Worcester, 
but they are, almost without exception, the outgrowth of 
individual enterprise; the stockholders are many of them 
residents, and in many cases, employees; the dividends 
are largely invested in real estate, in business blocks, in 
tenements, in factory property, while the fortunes accu- 
mulated have founded our hospitals, homes for the aged 
and infirm, have built our churches and endowed our 
schools. 

While there are few large fortunes here, measured by 
modern standards, there are many small ones. There is, 
perhaps, less of luxury and display than in some com- 
munities, but more of thrift. 

To properly take advantage of the opportunities here 
offered, an intelligent people was needed. Enterprise 
and sagacity have always been characteristics of the 
business men of Worcester, early manifested in appre- 
ciation of the importance of communication with the 
sea-board, and secured by the building of the Blackstone 
Canal, and evidenced later in the building of the rail- 



MECHANICS ASSOCIATION 301 

roads, and always recognized in the high reputation en- 
joyed throughout the country by our manufactures. 

But there is better evidence than this of the wisdom and 
foresight of the men who laid the foundation of Wor- 
cester's prosperity. 

A desire for opportunities for education was manifest 
at a very early day. About 1819 a number of young 
mechanics, who had been active in reforming the schools 
and establishing a lyceum and temperance society, made 
an attempt to form a mechanics' association. This failed; 
but November 27, 1841, a public meeting was held to 
consider the question. Ichabod Washburn was chairman, 
and Albert Tolman secretary of this meeting. A commit- 
tee was chosen, consisting of Anthony Chase, William 
Leggatt, Henry W. Miller, William M. Bickford, Putnam 
W. Taft, Levi A. Dowley, William A. Wheeler, Rufus 
D. Dunbar, John P. Kettell, James S. Woodworth, Al- 
bert Tolman, Hiram Gorham, Joseph Pratt, Henry 
Goulding and Edward B. Rice, to consider the formation 
of an association having for its object "the moral, intel- 
lectual and social improvement of its members, the per- 
fection of the mechanic arts and the pecuniary assistance 
of the needy." 

The first meeting of the subscribers was held February 
5, 1842. William A. Wheeler was elected president, 
Ichabod Washburn, vice-president, Albert Tolman, sec- 
retary, and Elbridge G. Partridge, treasurer. Steps were 
taken to establish a library and an annual course of 
lectures. The first lecture was delivered by Elihu Burritt 
(then a resident of Worcester), and was upon the impor- 
tance of educating the mechanics and working men of the 
country. From that time to the present the Mechanics 
Association has provided a course of lectures every winter. 



302 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Another object in forming the association was the hold- 
ing of an annual fair for the exhibition of the mechanical 
products of the city. The first fair was held in September, 
1848, and was very successful. The reports of the judges 
were printed and their circulation created a wide 
knowledge and consequently large demand for the products 
of Worcester mechanics. In July, 1854, in commenting 
upon the association and its work, the statement was 
made: " Notwithstanding the inadequate supply of water- 
power, which is everywhere deemed so essential for the 
successful development of the mechanic arts, without the 
aid of a single act of incorporation, mechanical business 
has increased in this city by individual enterprise alone 
more than tenfold/ The mechanics as a class are more 
enlightened and better educated than formerly; their 
course is onward and upward; they are not only increas- 
ing in numbers, but continually expanding in influence 
and usefulness. Instead of being a small fraction of the 
population of a town of two or three thousand, as they 
once were, they are nearly a majority of the population 
of a city of twenty- two thousand ; are the owners of nearly 
or quite half of the taxable real estate, and are producing 
from their workshops more than six millions of dollars 
annually. Their reputation for variety, excellence and 
finish on all labor-saving machines and implements extends 
far and wide through the land. Their products, branded 
with the name of some enterprising firm in Worcester, 
may be found in the shops, mills and factories and on the 
farms of every State in the Union." 

In 1850 an act of incorporation was obtained from the 
State, and May 4, 1854, Ichabod Washburn offered to 
give ten thousand dollars toward the purchase of land 
and the erection of a Mechanics Hall, provided an equal 
sum should be raised by the association. The offer was 



POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE 303 

accepted and the condition complied with. In addition 
to the twenty thousand dollars thus raised, the associa- 
tion issued bonds to the amount of fifty thousand dollars, 
secured by mortgage upon the property, and further 
sums were raised as the work advanced, of which amount 
nearly forty-four thousand dollars was taken and paid 
for by two hundred and fifty-six members of the associa- 
tion. Ground was broken July, 1855, and on the third of 
September the corner-stone was laid, the day being ob- 
served as a holiday. The building was completed in 
1857, and was dedicated March 19 of that year. The 
cost including the land, was about one hundred and forty- 
eight thousand dollars. 

Another and striking illustration of the interest taken 
by the manufacturers and mechanics of Worcester in 
educational affairs is found in their generous contribu- 
tions toward the building and endowment fund of the 
Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 

For many years, indeed as late as 1850, the common 
school, the academies, high schools and colleges were the 
only instrumentalities of education in this country. 

But it must not be thought that the need for a different 
training had not been early recognized. It was pointed 
out as early as 1830 that instruction in natural science 
could only be found in the colleges which were designed 
to educate those who were intended for the professional 
life of the ministry, the bar and medicine, and regret was 
expressed that no educational training had been provided 
for those who proposed to occupy themselves with 
practical affairs. The inventive faculty of our people 
had already been at work. John Fitch, Oliver Evans 
and Robert Fulton had long since demonstrated that 
steam was to be the great motive force for land and 
water vehicles. 



304 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Amos Whittemore had produced the carding machine; 
Eli Whitney, born in Westboro, had invented the cotton 
gin. Thomas Blanchard, of Millbury, had invented, 
among many other ingenious and useful devices, a lathe 
for turning irregular shapes. Erastus B. Bigelow, born 
in West Boylston, invented, before he was fourteen, a 
hand loom and machine for making piping cords and the 
first power loom for making counterpanes, coach lace, 
Brussels and Wilton carpets and wire cloth, and laid 
the foundation of the prosperity of the neighboring 
town of Clinton. Elias Howe, of Spencer, invented the 
sewing machine, and Morse had invented the electric 
telegraph. 

In view of all these and scores of other inventions, it is 
not surprising that the attention of thoughtful men was 
directed to the fact that the development of our industrial 
enterprises was a matter of prime importance to the pros- 
perity of the country, and that some special training 
should be provided for those who were to engage in such 
occupations. It is true that under the patronage of our 
colleges, scientific schools had been established through 
the generosity of private individuals. Joseph E. Sheffield, 
of New Haven, endowed the Sheffield Scientific School 
of Yale in 1847. Abbott Lawrence, of Boston, founded 
the Lawrence Scientific School at Cambridge in 1848, 
and Abiel Chandler, of Walpole, New Hampshire, endowed 
a separate department of Technology at Dartmouth in 
1852. These schools, however, all taught pure science. 
It was left for the Polytechnic School, as later developed, 
to teach applied science. Such, in a general way, were 
the conditions in 1860. 

July 2, 1862, Congress passed a bill granting to each 
state thirty thousand acres of land for each Senator and 



POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE 305 

Representative in Congress for the purpose of endowing 
institutions for teaching such branches of learning as are 
related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, and this, 
too, at a time when the failure of the peninsular campaign 
against Richmond had left the people of the country 
in a state of deep depression. This gave a great impetus 
to the cause of technical education. 

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was 
opened to students in 1865. 

The foundation of our own school came about in this 
way. In the year 1865, John Boynton, of Templeton, 
in this State and County, placed in the hands of his 
former partner, David Whitcomb, the sum of one hun- 
dred thousand dollars for the endowment of a school, 
which was to be located here if the citizens of Wor- 
cester should provide the land and suitable buildings. 
This condition was complied with by a gift of the land and 
of sixty-one thousand, one hundred and eleven dollars, 
contributed by two hundred and thirty-two individuals 
and from twenty shops and factories. The Institute was 
incorporated May 9, 1865, under the descriptive, but 
perhaps prolix title of Worcester County Free Institute 
of Industrial Science, which was changed in 1887 to the 
name which it now bears, Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 

December 2, 1865, Ichabod Washburn offered to 
establish a machine shop as one of the departments of 
instruction at the Institute. 

The selection of the location of the school was an appro- 
priate one. Worcester, then a city of thirty thousand, 
had long been famed for her industries and for the intelli- 
gence and public spirit of her citizens. Her industrial 
growth had taken place since 1830, prior to which time 
her manufactures had been of the most primitive sort. 
The Rev. Edward Everett Hale, whose life work was so 



306 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

productive of good to his fellowmen, once told me that 
Judge Merrick, an old resident, meeting Samuel Slater, 
the pioneer cotton manufacturer, on the street in 
Worcester, said to him: 

"We shall never be a manufacturing town because 
we have so little water power." 

Mr. Slater replied : 

" Judge Merrick, you may live to see the time when 
Worcester will need all the water of Mill Brook to provide 
the steam for her steam engines." 

This conversation must have occurred at some time 
prior to 1835 and perhaps about 1830. 

Eight or ten years before the founding of the Institute, 
Ichabod Washburn had discussed with the Rev. Dr. Sweet- 
ser the feasibility of establishing a school, in connection 
with the Mechanics Association, for giving scientific 
instruction to mechanics in the fundamental principles 
of Mechanics and Chemistry. It was expected that 
funds for the enterprise would be contributed by the 
prosperous mechanics and manufacturers of Worcester. 
The financial panic of 1857 prevented the execution of 
this plan, and Mr. Washburn later decided to carry out 
his earlier conceived purpose in connection with the 
Institute. 

Fortunate, thus in its foundation and its location, the 
Institute began its life under the happiest auspices. In 
one particular its scheme for education was unique in 
combining with the studies ordinarily pursued in techni- 
cal schools, manual labor in a shop, run upon a commer- 
cial scale and producing articles to be sold in the market. 

Unsuccessful experiments in thus combining the prac- 
tical with the theoretical had previously been made in 
Germany and Austria. 



POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE 307 

At this point I am led to inquire just what sort of a 
school this was in 1865, and what its founders expected 
of it. I understand that in the definition of the present 
day a trade school aims to give the pupil a thorough, 
practical knowledge of some handicraft. In the manual 
training school, instruction is given in various kinds of 
work with tools for educational discipline. In the tech- 
nical or engineering school the sciences are taught in 
their practical application to the various industries. 

Mr. Boynton, in his letter of gift, which was prepared 
under the advice of the Rev. Seth Sweetser, of Worcester, 
and Judge Emory Washburn, of Cambridge, adopted in 
most comprehensive form the curriculum of the scientific 
school as then known, with the addition of some subjects 
not ordinarily included. 

Mr. Washburn's final letter of gift and instruction 
dated March 6, 1866, discloses a purpose to establish a 
trade school as we now understand it, excepting that in 
addition to learning a trade the apprentice was to be 
instructed in the principles of science. 

Dr. Charles O. Thompson, the first president of the 
faculty, of brilliant accomplishments and magnetic per- 
sonality, in his inaugural address delivered at the Institute 
November 11, 1868, said, among other things: 

"Add to these considerations the fact that boys whose 
faculties are kept constantly alert by the training of the school 
are in a condition to learn faster than others the practical appli- 
cation of science and that the time spent in the shop will serve 
the double purpose of instruction and physical exercise and it 
will be admitted that this form of a manual labor school is at 
least an experiment worth trying." 

The late Senator George F. Hoar, one of the charter 
members of the Board of Trustees, in addressing a com- 
mittee of the Massachusetts Legislature, February 11, 



308 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

1869, urging an appropriation of $50,000, said, among 
other things : 

" You cannot find an instance of a boy who has been educated 
in the Scientific School at Harvard College going back to the 
bench of the workman or the farm, and so of the Institute of 
Technology. Theirs will be a different, and in many particu- 
lars a higher education than ours . . . You will not find 
there any boys who, having studied for two or three years, are 
going back to work in the shop . . . and there they will 
work their way up from the journeyman to the foreman and 
then the Master Mechanic." 

All this testimony leads, I think, to the conclusion that 
the Institute in 1865 was what would now be considered a 
combination of a scientific school and a trade school, and 
of a grade not so high in some respects as either the Scien- 
tific School at Harvard or the Institute of Technology 
in Boston. 

It was frankly admitted that it was an experiment and 
attention was called at the time to the fact that at Berlin 
the workshop connected with the school had been tried 
and abandoned twice. But the experiment succeeded 
here, and the combination has now taken the permanent 
form of an engineering school of the first rank, peculiar 
in this respect, that the practice not only illustrates the 
scientific principles taught in the school, but also gives 
the students considerable experience in the use of tools and 
a practical knowledge of the workings of a commercial 
shop. 

An examination of the records discloses the fact that 
at one time or another, and for longer or shorter periods, 
four hundred and sixty-one of the graduates of the Insti- 
tute have been at work in the industrial field in Wor- 
cester. Edward K. Hill and Edward F. Tolman, of the 
class of 1871, the first class graduated, were prominent 



POLYTECHNIC GRADUATES 309 

in the Wheelock Engine Co. Many, in the earlier days, 
were with the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co., now the Amer- 
ican Steel & Wire Company, conspicuous among whom 
was the late Fred H. Daniels, chief engineer of the works; 
many with the United States Envelope Company, several 
with the Wyman-Gordon Company, of which H. Win- 
field Wyman and Lyman F. Gordon were the founders; 
several with the Rockwood Sprinkler Company, of 
whom George I. Rockwood was the founder; many in the 
loom business, of whom Clinton Alvord is president of 
the Worcester Loom Company; over twenty with the 
Reed and Prince Co. ; several with the Morgan Construc- 
tion Co., among whom are Paul B. Morgan, the president, 
and Victor E. Edwards, the vice-president; a considerable 
number with the Norton Company, among whom is Aldus 
C. Higgins, secretary and general counsel. John W. 
Higgins is the proprietor of the Worcester Pressed Steel 
Company and R. Sanford Riley is the president of the 
Riley Stoker Co. Harry R. Sinclair was the proprietor 
of the W. & S. Mfg. Co., now known as the Worcester 
Stamped Metal Co. Charles Baker is treasurer of the 
Baker Box Co. and Harry S. Whitney an owner of the 
Whitney Mfg. Co. 

About two hundred and seventy-five of the graduates 
are at present in the city of Worcester, actively partici- 
pating in the maintenance and extension of her industrial 
interests. Many of them fill positions of great responsi- 
bility, and the majority of them are closely in touch with, 
and in large measure responsible for, the material progress 
of the city. It is difficult to estimate even approximately 
the value of these men. 

An interesting statement made some years ago in an 
address by James M. Dodge, then president of the Ameri- 
can Society of Mechanical Engineers, revealed the fact 



310 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

that the average annual salary of the technical trained 
man was over $2,150, and for the non-technical, but 
trade-trained man, $790, so that the gain in average 
annual income due to a technical training was estimated 
to be over $1,360. This amount capitalized at 4% gives 
to a man receiving a technical training a potential increase 
in value of $34,000. There are now engaged, as already 
stated, in active life in this city two hundred and seventy- 
five graduates of the Polytechnic, who represent directly 
and indirectly a wealth creating power measured by a 
capitalization of approximately $9,350,000. This repre- 
sents merely a capitalization of the increased earning 
power of the graduates and takes no account of the enter- 
prises which they have developed and which they direct, 
which would easily make the pecuniary measure of the 
contribution to the city's assets a much larger sum. 

The same spirit in the community which made possible 
the Polytechnic in 1865, led to the formation of the Boys' 
Trade School on Grove Street at Armory Square, which 
was dedicated February 8, 1910. Ichabod Washburn's 
original idea in creating The Washburn Shops was to 
teach a trade and with it give the apprentice an educa- 
tion. I have already traced the development of that idea 
in what I have said of the Polytechnic Institute. Milton 
P. Higgins was superintendent of The Washburn Shops 
for many years and a close student of the system of giv- 
ing mechanical instruction in a commercial shop. He was 
a strong advocate of the " Half-Time School." 

He had the half-time school idea in his mind as long 
ago as 1888 or 1889, when he went South to establish the 
Mechanical Department of the Georgia Institute of 
Technology, but it first received wide public attention 
at the time he read his first paper before the American 
Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1899. He was asked 



BOY'S TRADE SCHOOL 311 

by the Society to enlarge on this idea and subsequently 
an entire session was devoted to the presentation by him 
of a later paper and further discussion. 

In 1905 Governor Douglas appointed a Commission 
to investigate the subject of Industrial Education for 
Massachusetts. As a result a permanent Commission 
was authorized on June 21, 1906. Mr. Higgins was 
called into consultation with this Commission and was 
active in framing the law giving authority for establishing 
trade schools under boards of trustees, independent of the 
regular public school system. 

When Mr. Higgins advanced his idea of the half-time 
school he thought it was practicable for the trade school 
to operate in connection with the local high schools, 
the pupils spending alternate days in a commercial shop 
and in the public school. As he studied the situation and 
worked with the Douglas Commission, and afterward 
as a member of the Commission on Industrial Education, 
he became convinced that the academic part of the trade 
school should not be separated from the practical com- 
mercial shop. 

The important principles that he stood for and was 
largely instrumental in securing in the Massachusetts 
scheme were, first an independent Board of Trustees; 
second, practical commercial shops, whose main object 
should be the training of the boy through the manufacture 
of salable products; and third, academic and practical 
training all in one school. 

Mr. Higgins was appointed a member of the Commis- 
sion on Industrial Education in January, 1907, and at 
once began work with the Worcester City Government, 
and through appeals to the various civic organizations, 
created such a demand for this trade school that the City 



312 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

Council passed the ordinance authorizing its erection and 
equipment. 

Upon the appointment of the Board of Trustees — 
which was selected from among the business men of Wor- 
cester — Mr. Higgins became the president of the board. 

The first group of fifty-two boys started February 9, 
1910, on a four year's course, some to learn the pattern 
maker's and cabinet maker's trade and others the ma- 
chinist's trade, spending one-half their time in the shop 
and one-half in the school rooms. 

Instruction is offered in machine work, tool making, 
carpenter work, cabinet making, pattern making, power 
plant engineering, drawing for the machine and building 
trades, printing and interior decorating. 

The day school is free to boys between fourteen and 
twenty-five years of age. It is preferred that they should 
be graduates of the grammar grades, but other boys who 
show distinct mechanical aptitude may be admitted. 
During term time boys may enter on probation until 
the beginning of the next term when they will be assigned 
to the class for which they have shown themselves fit. 

The school is operated under Chapter 471 of the Acts 
of 1911, which provides that any city or town may es- 
tablish an independent industrial school under the direc- 
tion of it's school committee or an independent board of 
Education, and that if the school is approved by the 
State Board of Education the City shall be reimbursed 
to the extent of one-half its net cost of maintenance. 

Under this law the City furnishes land, buildings, and 
equipment and pays the entire cost of maintenance. From 
this gross cost of maintenance all income from tuitions 
and sale of product is deducted and then the State repays 
one-half of that net cost to the City. 



POPULATION 313 

Meantime the schools of the city have increased in 
number and efficiency. No child, however poor, need be 
deprived of a thorough education, free of any cost for 
instruction, and in the public schools being even relieved 
of the expense of buying books. 

Up to 1840 manual labor was, for the most part, per- 
formed by Americans. Worcester naturally attracted 
boys from the country, and the farmers' sons became our 
mechanics. 

About this time Irish immigration commenced and, as 
the heavier kinds of manufacture were introduced, the 
Irishman became an important factor in our industrial 
development and indispensable to our material progress. 

Since 1880 a large Scandinavian population has been 
added to Worcester. The last available figures show that 
in 1910, when the population of Worcester was 145,986, 
there were included in it eight thousand, five hundred and 
ninety-nine born in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, of 
which number eight thousand and thirty-six were born in 
Sweden. 

They are a thrifty, industrious, capable and law-abid- 
ing people, who have come to make this country their 
home. They are found in most of our shops and are 
employed exclusively in some of them. They support 
several churches, in some of which their own language is 
spoken. In 1915 there were two thousand, seven hundred 
and sixteen Scandinavian children in our public schools. 
Our present mayor, Honorable Pehr G. Holmes, is native- 
born, but of Swedish parents. 

Another race in our population, I wrote in 1888, is 
the Armenian, of which there were then about four 
hundred in Worcester, the larger number from the 
province of Harpoot. Very few of them had any mechani- 
cal training, having been engaged in their own country in 



314 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

agricultural pursuits, either as peasant farmers or as 
laborers for farmers. This occupation afforded scarcely- 
more than a bare subsistence, the wages being from twenty- 
cents to thirty cents per day. 

Conditions, of course, have changed somewhat since 
the above was written in 1888. 

The following table gives a classification of the popu- 
lation of Worcester in 1910, which was then 145,986: 

Native white — native parentage 41,421 

Native white — foreign or mixed parentage. . 54,751 

*Foreign-born, white 48,492 

Negro 1,241 

Indian, Chinese and Japanese 81 

*Foreign-born, white: Born in — 

Austria 362 

Canada — French 5,010 

Canada— Other 3,377 

Denmark 205 

England 3,113 

Finland 1,452 

Germany 580 

Ireland 10,535 

Italy 2,889 

Norway 358 

Russia 8,767 

Scotland 870 

Sweden 8,036 

Turkey, in Asia 2,056 

Turkey, in Europe. 413 

Other foreign countries 469 

Males Females Total 

Native-born 47,401 50,012 97,413 

Foreign-born 25,948 22,544 48,492 

73,349 72,556 145,90s 1 

^oes not include Indians, 10; Chinese, 65; Japanese, 6. Total, 81. 



POPULATION 315 

In the census of 1915 the figures are as follows: 

Native born 110,108 

Foreign born 52,589 







162,697 




TOTAL 


MALES 


FEMALES 


Total Foreign Born 


52,589 


27,089 


25,500 


Austria, exclusive of Austrian Poland 


188 


88 


100 


British Possessions 


8,239 


3,933 


4,306 


Canada, n. o. c. 2 


6,020 


2,978 


3,042 


New Brunswick 


515 


196 


319 


Newfoundland 


65 


31 


34 


Nova Scotia 


1,339 


595 


744 


Prince Edward Island 


270 


120 


150 


All other 


30 


13 


17 


France 


105 


51 


54 


Great Britain 


14,457 


6,491 


7,966 


England 


3,512 


1,738 


1,774 


Ireland 


9,928 


4,249 


5,679 


Scotland 


993 


491 


502 


Wales 


24 


13 


11 


Germany, exclusive of German Poland 


537 


277 


260 


Greece 


678 


600 


78 


Italy 


3,985 


2,400 


1,585 


Norway 


368 


179 


189 


Poland 


5,741 


3,354 


2,387 


Austrian 


198 


103 


95 


German 


53 


24 


29 


Russian 


5,467 


3,214 


2,253 


Poland, n. o. c. 


23 


13 


10 


Portugal, including island possessions 


33 


16 


17 


Russia, exclusive of Russian Poland 


7,259 


3,759 


3,500 


Russia, n. o. c. 


4,629 


2,396 


2,233 


Finland 


1,712 


846 


866 


Lithuania 


918 


517 


401 


Sweden 


8,150 


4,073 


4,077 


Switzerland 


19 


6 


13 


Turkey 


2,422 


1,619 


803 


Armenia 


912 


612 


300 


Syria 


735 


416 


319 


Turkey, all other 


775 


591 


184 


West Indies 


19 


9 


10 


All other 


389 


234 


155 


1 This total includes persons born in the island 


possessions of the United States, persons 


born at sea of American parents, and persons of unknown country of birth. 




2 N. o. c. means not otherwise classified. 









316 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

The evening schools are invaluable in giving our large 
foreign adult population an opportunity to acquire 
sufficient education to become useful and intelligent 
citizens. An examination of the records in 1888 showed 
that out of six hundred and ninety-one who attended 
the evening schools, one hundred and sixty-five were 
Irish, one hundred fifty-five Armenians, one hundred 
and fifty- three Scandinavians, one hundred and eleven 
French, forty-five English, thirty-one Americans, four- 
teen Poles, twelve Germans, three Mexicans, one Scotch, 
and one Portuguese. 

These schools were maintained at a cost for each pupil 
of $11.68 for the year. 

It is an interesting fact that no Scandinavian had up 
to that time made application to attend evening school 
who could not write his name. 

In 1915 the nationality of the twenty- three hundred 
and fifty who attended the evening schools was as follows: 

Jews 271 Turks 16 

Swedes 181 Scotch 16 

Lithuanians 176 Germans 13 

Italians 158 Austrians 3 

Poles 113 Chinese 2 

Irish 112 French 2 

Armenians 99 Norwegians 2 

Greeks 72 Portuguese 2 

French Canadians . 71 Bulgarian 

Russians 38 Dane 

English 36 Dutch 

Albanians 35 Macedonians 

Syrians 32 Roumanians 

Finns 30 Swiss 



STATISTICS 317 

In 1915 these schools were maintained at a cost for 
each pupil of $19.57 for the year. 

At the evening drawing-schools opportunity is afforded 
to learn free-hand drawing and drafting, of which our 
intelligent mechanics are quick to avail themselves. 
The average attendance during the year 1888 was one 
hundred and thirty-nine, and during the year 1915 was 
one hundred and seventeen. This decrease is no doubt 
due to the fact that there are now wider opportunities 
for instruction in the Trade School and elsewhere and not 
to any falling off in the number receiving instruction. 

The census of 1885 showed that there were seven hun- 
dred and seventy-two establishments engaged in manu- 
facturing and mechanical industries in the city of Worces- 
ter; the total capital invested, $18, 344,408; value of 
stock used in a year, $15,016,756; total value of goods 
made and work done, $28,699,524, the different industries 
standing in the following order: — Metallic goods, other 
than iron; boots, shoes and slippers; iron goods; wood 
and metal goods; building material for building and 
stone-work; textiles; food preparations; miscellaneous 
clothing and straw goods; woolen goods; paper and paper 
goods; leather; printing and publishing; paints, colors, 
oils and chemicals. 

June 30, 1885, there were employed in manufacturing 
and mechanical industries 16,566 people — 13,413 males, 
3,153 females — of which 2,475 were under twenty-one, 
and 14,091 twenty-one and over; 10,512 of these worked 
by the day, and 6,054 by the piece. 

The total amount paid in wages in the census year was 
$7,060,755. 

In 1913, a year nearer normal than 1914, which was one 



318 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 

of abnormal depression, just as 1916 was a year of abnor- 
mal inflation because of the war, the 

Number of establishments was 448 

Capital invested $75,474,918 

Value of stock and material used $50,453,169 

Amount of wages paid during the year. 819,887,759 

Average yearly earnings $625 . 38 

Wage earners employed: 

Average number, males 24,317 

Average number, females 7,484 

Average number, both sexes 31,801 

Smallest number 26,892 

Largest number 36,275 

Value of product $89,707,793 

Worcester has developed from a country town to a 
great manufacturing city in less than ninety years. The 
population in 1830 was a little over four thousand and 
today is probably one hundred and sixty thousand. 

Within that time the steam-engine, the railroad, tele- 
graph and telephone and commercial use of electricity 
have enormously increased the productive power of labor. 
The improvement in the condition of the laboring classes 
is no less marked; contrary to the opinion once held, the 
introduction of labor-saving machinery has advanced 
instead of lowering wages; has reduced, instead of ex- 
tending the hours of labor. The laborer receives a con- 
stantly-increasing proportion, the capitalist a constantly- 
decreasing proportion in the division of gains. Many of 
our mechanics own their homes, and are naturally deeply 
interested in the welfare of the city. Avenues for advance- 
ment are always open to the capable and industrious. From 
their ranks will come the leading business men of the 
next generation, upon whom the continuance of pros- 
perity will depend. 



CAUSES OF PROSPERITY 319 

It is worthy of note that the causes of Worcester's 
prosperity are found within and not without. No ab- 
normal conditions have prevailed, a change in which can 
bring disaster. No Government works or patronage of 
any kind have contributed to her advancement. We 
need not fear the natural advantages of other sections of 
the country, for there must always be conducted here the 
manufacture of the finer grades of goods, requiring intelli- 
gent and delicate manipulation. As we review the past 
and forecast the future, we can but feel that Worcester 
is worthy of her civic seal, — 

The Heart of the Commonwealth. 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



321 



INDEX 

The publishers have been fortunate in securing the cooperation of Mrs. Mary R. Reynolds of 
the staff of the American Antiquarian Society in the preparation of the index. The work has been 
most adequately done and adds greatly to the value of the book for reference purposes. C. G. W. 



Ackley, A. L., 42. 

Adams, , 39. 

Adams, Alvin, (P. B. Burke & A. Adams), 
Express, 55. 

Adams, Hiram B., (Houghton & Adams), 
236; (Adams & Hastings), 240. 

Adams, John J., 247, 248. 

Adams, Nathaniel M., wire factory, 148. 

Adams Block, 192. 

Adamson, Daniel, and Co., 225, 226. 

Adriance, J. T., and Co., 134. 

Adriatic Mills, 97. 

Aetna Hosiery Co., 289. 

Agricultural implements, manufacturing, 
130, 293. 

Aidar, brig., 23. 

Ainsworth, Nathan, card machinery, 79. 

Alden, George I. (Norton Emery Wheel 
Co.), 252, 256; treasurer, Plunger Ele- 
vator Co., 267; treasurer, Worcester 
Pressed Steel Co., 273. 

Aldrich, A. and D., woolen factory, 65. 

Allen, Charles, 52. 

Allen, Charles L. (Norton Emery Wheel 
Co.), 252, 256. 

Allen, D. D., and Co., 295. 

Allen, Ethan, 108, 121, 122, 217; sketch 
of, and his firearms business, 204. 

Allen, George W. (Allen-Higgins Wall 
Paper Co.), 276. 

Allen, John P. (Allen-Higgins Wall Paper 
Co.), 276. 

Allen, Joseph, 23. 

Allen, William, boiler works, and copart- 
nerships, 229, 230. 



Allen, Zachariah, 82. 

Allen Boiler Works, 121. 

Allen-Higgins Wall Paper Co., noticed, 
276; officers, 278. 

Alma Woolen Mills, 99. 

Almy and Brown, letter to P. Earle on 
carding machine, 75. 

Alvord, Clinton (Worcester Loom Works), 
309; noticed, 95. 

American and British Mfg. Co., 223. 

American Awl Co., 286. 

American Card Clothing Co., 79. 

American Narrow Fabric Co., 298. 

American Screw Co., 144, 217. 

American Society of Mechanical Engi- 
neers, 309, 310. 

American Steam Music Co., 192, 297. 

American Steel and Wire Co., 19, 21, 
36n, 44, 45, 47, 145, 164, 167, 182, 
271, 309; bought Washburn & Moen 
Mfg. Co., and merged into the U. S. Steel 
Corporation, 161; separate organiza- 
tion, 161; managers, 162; shipments of 
wire fencing, 163; annual output, 165; 
labor conditions, 165. 

American Thread Co., 107. 

American Wheelock Engine Co., 223. 

Ames, Oliver, and Sons, agricultural im- 
plements, 134. 

Ames, William L., treasurer, Reed-Prince 
Mfg. Co., 176. 

Ames Plow Co., 134,298. 

Anderson, Albert H., 278. 

Anderson, Mary, 229. 

Andrews, Anna, marriage to T. Bigelow, 
15. 

Andrews, Samuel, 15. 



322 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Anthony, Albert H. (Anthony Screw Co.), 
220. 

Arbucle, Matthew, 192. 

Arcade Malleable Iron Co., 113, 115. 

Arconia Worsted Co., 32. 

Arkwright, Richard, 81. 

Armsby, Joshua M. C, agricultural 
implements, 133, 134. 

Arnold, Albert (Arnold & Pierce), 118. 

Arnold, James G., envelope machine in- 
vention, 203; noticed, 198. 

Arnolds Mill, 36. 

Ashburnham, potash works, 14. 

Ashey, John P., vice-president, Rockwood 
Sprinkler Co., 284. 

Ashworth and Jones, mills, 39, 40. 

Atchison, George T., 183, 188. 

Atlas Manufacturing Co., 71. 

Auburn, manufactories, 35. 

Awls, manufacturing, 286. 

Ayres, Samuel, 173. 

Ayres Manufacturing Co., 174. 

B 

Bagley, Ephraim A. (Gifford and Bagley), 

217; patent, 219. 
Baker, Charles, 105. 
Baker, Charles, treasurer, Baker Box Co., 

288, 309. 
Baker, William B., treasurer, Taber 

Organ Co., 193. 
Ball, Phineas, 291. 

Ball, Richard, 119; planing machine man- 
ufactory, and copartnership, 189; 

(Ball and Williams) rifle manufactory, 

212, 217. 
Ballard, Charles H., planing machine 

manufactory, 189; rifle invention, 217. 
Bancroft, Nathan W. (Kent & Bancroft), 

125. 
Bangs, Edward D., 48. 
Barber, George D. (Emerson, Lane and 

Barber Co.), 201; treasurer, Worcester 

Envelope Co., 202. 
Barber, John N., secretary, Worcester 

Envelope Co., 202. 
Barber, William C, 69. 



Barker, William, boot and shoe manufac- 
tory, and copartnerships, 234, 235. 

Barnard, Andrew B., mowing machines, 
135. 

Barnard and Hager, boot and shoe mak- 
ers, 234. 

Barnum, Dana D., president, Worcester 
Gas Light Co., 263. 

Barr, Thomas N. (Smith, Barr & Co.), 
106. 

Barre, factory, 142, 256. 

Barre and Worcester Railroad Co., 
chartered, 57. 

Barrett, Joseph, and Co., 296. 

Barton, Charles S. (Rice, Barton & Fales 
Machine & Iron Co.), 251. 

Barton, George S. (Rice, Barton & Fales 
Machine & Iron Co.), 249. 

Barton, George S. [2] (Rice, Barton & 
Fales Machine & Iron Co.), 251. 

Bassett, George M. (Johnson & Bassett), 
99. 

Bassett, Joseph M., woolen machinery, 
and copartnerships, 96, 97, 99. 

Batchelder, Frank R., treasurer, Mills 
Woven Cartridge Belt Co., 270. 

Batcheller, Ezra, 232. 

Batcheller, Tyler, 232. 

Bates, Theodore C, 263; (Worcester 
Corset Co.), 258. 

Battelle, George L., 237, 241; copartner- 
ships, 294, 295. 

Bauxite, Ark., Norton Co., plant, 254. 

Bay State Envelope Co., 199. 

Bay State Shoe and Leather Co., 238. 

Bay State Tool Handle Co., 45. 

Bazen, James A., 191. 

Beaver Brook, 32, 43. 

Bedard, Albert A., and Co., 220. 

Beecher, W. H., 178. 

Bellows, Ephraim EL, 121; engine build- 
ing, and copartnership, 227, 229. 

Bellows and Darling, 40. 

Bemis, Gilbert C. (Bemis & Fletcher), 
241. 

Bemis, William (Bemis & Williams), 234. 

Bennett, William, 182. 

Berkshire Street Railway Co., 264. 






INDEX 



323 



Bickford, William M., 88, 121, 301; 
(Bickford & Lombard), 66; (Phelps 
& Bickford), 67, 86, 287. 

Bigelow, Erastus B., loom inventions, 
100, 168, 304; Carpet and Wire Cloth 
Mills, 170. 

Bigelow, Francis H., 202. 

Bigelow, Horace H., 202; (Bigelow and 
Trask), shoe manufactory, 238; heel- 
ing-machine patent, 244. 

Bigelow, Jabez, 173. 

Bigelow, Jonah H., president, National 
Mfg. Co., 173. 

Bigelow, Timothy, noticed, 15. 

Bigelow, Walter E., president and treas- 
urer, S. Porter & Co., 288. 

Bigelow and Barber, 44. 

Billings, Frank E., treasurer, Worcester 
Stamped Metal Co., 275. 

Bisco, , (McFarland & Bisco), 113. 

Bishop, James L., "History of American 
Manufactures," 220. 

Blackburn, Nathan, 22. 

Blacker, Francis W., 246n.; boot manu- 
factory, 241. 

Blackstone, mill, 83. 

Blackstone Canal, 300; projected, 23, 48; 
first boat, 50; goods shipped, 51; 
drawbacks, 51. 

Blackstone Canal Co., 49. 

Blackstone River, mill privileges, 32, 51. 

Blackstone Valley Gas and Electric Co., 
264. 

Blaisdell, Parritt, machinists' tools, and 
copartnership, 124. 

Blake, George F., Mfg. Co. 90n. 

Blake, James B., 46; superintendent, Wor- 
cester Gas Light Co., notice of, 262. 

Blake, Rufus W. (Loring and Blake Organ 
Co.), 193, 298; noticed, 192. 

Blanchard, George H., 123. 

Blanchard, Thomas, inventions, 33, 73, 
289, 304. 

Bleachery, 285. 

Bliss, Charles H., president and treasurer, 
L. Hardy Co., 289. 

Bliss, Cyrus, 235. 



Bliss, George W., boot and shoe manufac- 
tory, 235. 

Bliss, William R., 235, 293. 

Blood, Otis, and Sons, carriage manufac- 
tory, 188. 

Boilers, manufacturing, 229. 

Bombay, Wheelock engines installed, 226. 

Bond, Ephraim, 108. 

Bonney, Carl, 280. 

Booth, Charles H., 178. 

Booth, Thomas T. (Arcade Malleable 
Iron Co.) 115; (Standard Foundry Co.), 
118. 

Boots and shoes, copper nail, 26; manu- 
facturing, 45, 231; hand-made, 21, 241, 
and machine-made, described, 242; heel- 
ing machine, 244, 245; machinery, 294. 

Boston and Albany Railroad Co., forma- 
tion, 54; leased, 54. 

Boston and Maine Railroad Co., 56, 57. 

Boston and Worcester Railroad Co., 
chartered, and patronage, 52; consoli- 
dated, 54. 

Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad Co., 
chartered, and consolidated, 57. 

Bottomly, Thomas, mill, 37, 38. 

Bottomly's Pond, 38. 

Bowen, Ebenezer H., boot and shoe manu- 
factory, and copartnerships, 234. 

Bowen, George, 234. 

Bowler, Alexander (Bowler Bros.), 288. 

Bowler, John (Bowler Bros.), 288. 

Boxes, invention for papering, 168; paper, 
machinery, 275; wooden, manufactur- 
ing, 288, 294. 

Boy den, John, 121. 

Boynton, John, gift to found Worcester 
Polytechnic Institute, 305. 

Boynton and Plummer, 128. 

Bradley, Henry O., car builder, 185. 

Bradley, John E., president, Osgood 
Bradley Car Co., and works noticed, 
186. 

Bradley, Osgood, 212; carriage maker, 
183; car builder, noticed, 184; copart- 
nerships, 184, 185. 

Bradley, Osgood, Jr., car builder, 185. 



324 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Bradley, Osgood, Car Co., incorporated, 
186. 

Bradley, Osgood, Building, 175, 185, 297. 

Braman, Anson, 136. 

Bramanville, woolen mill, 34. 

Bramwell, W. C, 129. 

Brazer, Samuel, occupations, 17, 61, 143. 

Breck, Moses T. (Breck & Wilder), stage 
coach builders, 187. 

Breweries, 51, 58, 288. 

Brewster and Fox, carding-machines, 63. 

Bridges, A. B. (Standard Plunger Elevator 
Co.), 41. 

Brierly, John T., 290. 

Brigham, David T., 42, 66. 

Brigham, John S., 203; (Logan, Swift & 
Brigham Envelope Co.), 201. 

Brigham, John W., and Co., boot and 
shoe manufactory, 238. 

Britton, James D. (Heald & Britton), 116. 

Broadcloth, Millbury mill, 29; Watson 
mill, 38; Hatch and Gunn, 44. 

Brookfield, manufacturing, 37, 131, 232. 

Brooks, George F., secretary, 209, and 
treasurer, Harrington & Richardson 
Arms Co., 210. 

Brosnan, C. A., 38. 

Brouard, H. J., 37. 

Brown, Albert S. (Child & Brown), 236. 

Brown, Alzirus, 134, 135, 294. 

Brown, Clark, 232. 

Brown, E. W., loom invention, 88. 

Brown, Edwin (T. K. Earle Mfg. Co.), 77. 

Brown, Henry S., 128. 

Brown, J. and J., Co., 287. 

Brown, John, 48, 64. 

Brown, Samuel, boot and shoe manufac- 
tory, 234, and copartnerships, 240. 

Brown, Theodore P., president and treas- 
urer, Simplex Player Action Co., 195. 

Brown, William H., 109, 296. 

Brownell, Carl L., 109. 

Brownell, George L., 269, 299; twisting 
machinery manufactory, 108. 

Brushes, manufacturing, 288. 

Bryant, George C, 98. 

Buckeye Mowing Machine Co., 135. 

Buckingham, George B., iron foundry, 114. 



Buchingham, H. Paul, 115. 

Buffum, William, Jr., 51. 

Builders' finish, 44. 

Bullard, Frank F. (Morgan Spring Co.), 
178. 

Bullock, Rockwood H., 263. 

Burbank, A. L., 296. 

Burbank, Abijah, paper-mill, 18. 

Burbank, Caleb, paper-mill, 20, 147. 

Burbank, Elijah, paper-mills, 20, 21, 60, 
111, 147, 249. 

Burbank, Gardner, 21, 59. 

Burgess, Walter F., and Co., 287. 

Burgess-Lang Building, 297. 

Burke, P. B., (Burke and Adams,) Express 
Co., 55. 

Burlingame, Abraham, and Co., steam- 
engine and boiler manufactory, 228. 

Burr, Edward M., 183. 

Burritt, Elihu, 301. 

Burt and Merrick, 131. 

Burt, Wright and Co., 168. 

Butler, Lucien B., satinet mill, 38, 40. 

Butman, Benjamin, and Co., 131. 



Cabinet maker, 24. 

Cadwell, Edwin B., vice-president, Stand- 
ard Screw Co., 219. 

California Wire Works, 164. 

Calliopes, manufacturing, Worcesterinven- 
tion, 192, 297. 

Canals, Blackstone, 23, 31; Worcester to 
Boston, 23. 

Candles, machine for making, 22. 

Capron and Parkhurst, 68. 

Cars, 184, and wheel, manufacturing, 213. 

Carding, factory, 23 ; machines, 24, 25, 26, 
27, 28, 46, 61, 63, 65, 109, 128, 129, 136, 
and inventions 64, 74, described, 74; 
"A Century Old," cited, 80. 

Carhart, Jeremiah, organ-reed invention, 
194. 

Carlson, Hjalmar G., 284. 

Carpenter, Edwin P., 194. 

Carpets, manufacturing, 24, 41, 42, 44, 
100, 168. 



INDEX 



325 



Carriages, manufacturing, 24, 183, 184, 
186, 187. 

Carroll Machine and Spindle Works, 109. 

Carter, James R. (Carter, Rice & Co.), 
200. 

Cartridge belts, manufacturing, noticed, 
26. 

Cartwright, Edmund, power-loom inven- 
tion, 81. 

Castings, 51, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116. 

Central Hotel, 183. 

Chadsey, C. Allen (Waite, Chadsey & 
Co.), 115. 

Chaffee, Alden B., foundry, 113. 

Chairs, manufacturing, 261. 

Chandler, Abiel, 304. 

Chandler, Samuel, 23. 

Chapel Mill Corporation, 39; officers, 37. 

Chapin, Jason, foundry, 113, 116; presi- 
dent, Machine Lathe Co., 296. 

Chase, Anthony, 301. 

Chase, Elijah, 10. 

Chase, John, and Sons, 99. 

Chenery, Horace, 44. 

Cheney, John (Howe, Cheney & Co.), 189. 

Chicago Screw Co., 218, 219. 

Child, Elisha N., boot manufactory, 
and copartnerships, 236. 

Childs, Gardner, 189. 

Chippewa, Ca., Norton Co. plant, 254. 

Churns, 24. 

Clark, Elisha, rope-maker, 21. 

Clark, Milton W. (Clark & Knight), en- 
gine builders, 229. 

Clark, Nathaniel S., paper-mill, 41. 

Clarke, Josiah H., 202. 

Clary, Ernest T., 125. 

Clay, Henry, 29. 

Clemens, Samuel L., "Roughing It," 
cited, 205. 

Clements, Moses, 136, 139. 

Cleveland, Edwin C, woolen machinery, 
96, and copartnerships, 99, 121. 

Cleveland Machine Works Co., 96, 97. 

Cleveland, Ohio, Wyman-Gordon Co., 
plant, 271. 

Clinton, De Witt, treasurer and secretary, 
Worcester Gas Light Co., 263. 



Clinton, mills, 100, 107. 

Clinton Wire Cloth Co., 168. 

Clipping machines, manufacturing, 288. 

Clocks, makers, 21, 22, 24. 

Cloth, manufacturing, 17, 28, 39, 63; A- 

merican, encouraged, 28. 
Coal, mines, 24, 59; relative value, 58; 

company incorporated, 59. 
Coates, B. Austin, treasurer, Coates 

Clipper Mfg. Co., 288. 
Coates, George H., president, Coates 

Clipper Mfg. Co., 288. 
Cobalt, 13. 

Cochrane Manufacturing Co., 105. 
Coes, Aury G., 140; (L. & A. G. Coes), 

69, 136, 138, 292; sketch of, 136. 
Coes, Frank L., 263. 
Coes, Frederick L. (Coes Wrench Co.), 

140. 
Coes, John H., treasurer, Coes Wrench 

Co., 140. 
Coes, Loring (L. & A. G. Coes), 69, 136, 

138, 292; sketch of, 136; (L. Coes & 

Co.), 140, 288. 
Coes Manufacturing Co., 43. 
Coes Wrench Co., 136, 140. 
Cole, William F., 267. 
Coleman, Charles S., gun invention, 212. 
Collier, Eh, satinet mill, 38, 39, 40. 
Colton, Samuel H. (Wright and Colton 

Wire Cloth Co.), 169. 
Colvin, Caleb, and J. A., foundry, 115. 
Colvin, J. Byron, 116. 
Colvin, James A., foundry, 116. 
Conkey, William, 287. 
Conklin, Henry W., 66. 
Converse, Alden, (Converse & Washburn) 

iron founders, 213. 
Converse, Joseph, 136. 
Conway, Carl C, 195. 
Cook, James, letter on W. Crompton, 85. 
Coombs, Samuel C, 122; machinists' 

tools, and copartnerships, 120, 293. 
Copeland, Frank, 229; fire-arms manu- 
factory, noticed, 208. 
Copperas, 51; works, 162, described, 182. 
Corbet, Otis, boot and shoe manufactory, 

234. 



326 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Corbet, William A., 236. 

Corduroy, 17, 18. 

Corliss, George H., steam engines, and 

inventions, 223, 224, 226, 228; (Corliss 

& Nightingale), 296. 
Corsets, manufacturing, 258, 298. 
Cotton, 27, 28, 51 ; manufacturing, 17, 25, 

30, 43, 44, 60, 63, 64, 69, 70, 146, 152; 

machinery, 26, 27, 62, 63, 72. 
Court Mills, 45, 46, 67, 72, 86, 118, 119, 

120, 121, 132, 137, 188, 261, 292. 
Cowie, Pierson, 119, 123. 
Crane, Ellery B., "Early Paper-Mills, " 

cited, lln, 18, 19. 
Crane, Henry G. (McCloud, Crane and 

Minter), 219. 
Crane, Zenas, paper manufactory, 20. 
Cranska, Floyd, treasurer, Cranska 

Thread Co., 107. 
Critchley, J. Vernon, Machine Screw Co., 

127. 
Crocker and Richmond, 84. 
Crompton, Charles (Crompton & Knowles 

Loom Works), 93. 
Crompton, George, 85, 97, 102, 103, 268, 

294; sketch of loom works, 87; carpet 

manufactory, 100, 101; foundry, 116, 

117. 
Crompton, George, [2] loom works, 93; 

(Reed-Prentice Co.), 128. 
Crompton, Mrs. George, 89. 
Crompton, Randolph, loom works, 93, 

and patent, 94. 
Crompton, William, 45, 287; loom inven- 
tion, 84, and letter on, 85; mill burnt, 

86, 146; sketch of, 86. 
Crompton and Knowles Loom Works, 

incorporated, 92; officers, and described, 

93. 
Crompton Associates, 126, 127. 
Crompton Carpet Co., 100, 101, 103. 
Crompton Loom Works, 10, 44, 87, 88, 

117, 119, 225. 
Crompton-Thayer Loom Co., 93, 127. 
Cross, William, 100. 
Crossley, Wilkenson, 35. 



Cummings, David, boot and shoe manu- 
factory, and copartnerships, 237. 

Cunningham, Elliott E., 290. 

Currier, Timothy J. (Currier & Snyder), 
129. 

Curtis, Albert, 42, 43, 44, 138, 171, 264; 
business career, noticed, 68. 

Curtis, Edwin P., 135. 

Curtis and Goddard, carriage makers, 24, 
183. 

Curtis and Marble Machine Co., incor- 
porated, and officers, 71. 

Cutlery, manufacturing, 46. 

Cutter, W. Everett, copperas, and Vene- 
tian red works, 182. 
D 

Dadmun, Hiram D. (Whitcomb, Dadmun 
& Stowe), 240. 

Daguerreotypes, 90. 

Daniels, Fred H., 309; rod rolling inven- 
tion, 180; (Norton Emery Wheel Co.), 
252. 

Daniels, Thomas E., planing machine, 119, 
189, 293; noticed, 188. 

Danielsonville, foundry, 115. 

Darby, Calvin, 46, 63. 

Darling, , (Bellows & Darling), 40. 

Davenport, James F., 237, 241. 

Davenport, Samuel, 238. 

Davidson, Alonzo B., foundry, 115. 

Davis, A., and Co., 192. 

Davis, Alonzo G., 115. 

Davis, Edward L., treasurer, Washburn 
Iron Co., 214. 

Davis, Isaac, 97, 249. 

Davis, John, 48. 

Davis, John A., (Davis, Savels & Co.), die 
manufacturers, 248. 

Davis, Samuel, 118, 121, 132, 292; 
(Goulding & Davis), 66; on Crompton 
looms, 86; (Nourse, Mason & Co.), 133; 
woolen machinery, 137, 138; (Davis & 
Howe), 188. 

Davis, Walter H., 202. 

Day, Charles F., manufacturer yarn, 32; 
wool-scouring, 33. 

Dean, Alexander H., shoe heel manufac- 
tory, 245. 



INDEX 



327 



Dean, Henry E., (Dean Wire Goods Co.), 
176. 

Decker Cycle Company, 299. 

Denholm, John A., 263; (Wright Wire 
Co.), 169. 

Denholm, William A., 263. 

Denny, Daniel, card factory, 23, 73, 79. 

Denny, Edward, 42. 

Detroit Screw Works, 218, 219. 

Devoe, Charles H. (Hill, Devoe & Co.), 
197. 

Dewey, Francis H., vice-president, Wor- 
cester Gas Light Co., 263. 

Dewey, George T., 161, 263. 

Dickerman Paper Box Co., 168. 

Dickinson, L. G., satinet mill, 37, 38. 

Dickinson, Thomas A., 76n. 

Dike, James A., 33. 

Dike, Lyman, boot and shoe manufactory, 
233. 

Dinsmore, Silas, 46, 109; copartnership, 
72, 83. 

Dix, Elijah, paper mill, 20. 

Dixie, Edmund F., 141, 293. 

Dobson, Capt., 50, 51. 

Dodge, James M., on technical education, 
310. 

Dolan, Charles, thread mill, 107. 

Dolliver, Edward B., treasurer, Standard 
Screw Co., 219. 

Dolliver, John, 233. 

Donald, Malcolm F., 128. 

Douglas, William L., 311. 

Dowley, Levi A., 301; shoe manufactory, 
235. 

Draper, William A., boot and shoe manu- 
factory, and copartnerships, 234. 

Draper Machine Tool Co., 120, 124. 

Dresser and Wilson, 295. 

Drury, Frank A., 125, 128, 263. 

Dryden, George, 287, 294. 

Duffy, George E., 40. 

Dunbar, Rufus D., 301. 

Duncan, Gov., 184. 

Dunn, E. Bruce (Spencer Wire Co.), 173. 

Dunn, Edward L., (Standard Plunger 
Elevator Co.), 41. 

Dunn's Mills, 36. 



Dyeing, works, 24, 43, 100, 103, 105, 285. 
Dyke, A. Russell, 45. 

E 

Eames, William E., card machines, 79. 

Earle, (Prouty & Earle), 146. 

Earle, Edward, 76, 77. 
Earle, Enoch, 124. 
Earle, John, 25, 61. 
Earle, John M., 48. 
Earle, Jonah, 76. 

Earle, Oliver K., foundry, 113, 115. 
Earle, Pliny, machine-cards manufactur- 
ing, 74; copartnership, 77. 
Earle, Silas, 76. 
Earle, Thomas, 77. 
Earle, Timothy, 76. 
Earle, Timothy K., business career, 

noticed, 76. 
Earle, Timothy K., Manufacturing Co., 

76, 77, 79, 197, 246. 
Earle, William B., 76, 79. 
Earle and Ames Co., 246. 
Earle and Chase, 73, 79, 233. 
Earle and Williams, 26, 45, 62. 
Eaton, Nathaniel, and Co., 45. 
Economic Machinery Co., noticed, 278; 

officers, 280. 
Eddy, Amos, 32, 33. 
Eddy, Henry W., 299. 
Eddy, William H., machinists' tools, 125. 
Edgeworth Mill, 102, 103. 
Edwards, Victor E., 178; vice-president, 

Morgan Construction Co., 181, 309. 
Electricity, power plants, 263. 
Elevators, manufacturing, 41; plunger, 

noticed, 266. 
Elliot, Carter, 32. 
Elliot, David, 32. 
Ellwood, Isaac L., barbed wire patent, 

155, 157. 
Elm City Co., 124. 
Embargo, manufactures increased in 

1807, 25. 
Emerson, William B. (Emerson, Lowe & 

Barber Co.), envelope manufactory, 

201. 



328 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Engines, steam, manufacturing, 220; esti- 
mate of the Wheelock, and comparison 
with Corliss, 224. 

Envelopes, first used, 195; manufactur- 
ing, 196. 

Estabrook, James, building, 107, 119, 122, 
126, 190, 192, 296. 

Ettrick Mills, 42. 

Evans, Oliver, 303. 

Everett, Edward, on importance of R. R. 
to the West, 53, 57. 

Expresses, 54, 55. 



Fairbanks, Herbert H., treasurer, Worces- 
ter Electric Light Co., 263. 

Fales, Joseph E. (Rice, Barton & Fales 
Machine & Iron Co.), 249. 

Fanning, David H., hoopskirt and corset 
manufactory, 258. 

Farley, Nathan, (Farley, Pierson & Co.), 
melodeon makers, 191; (Taylor and 
Farley), 192. 

Farnum, Darius D., 83. 

Farnum, Welcome, 83. 

Fay, Frank S., 98. 

Fay, Hamilton B., boot and shoe manu- 
factory, 237. 

Fay, John A., and Co., 188, 189, 190, 
296. 

Fay, Solon, 183. 

Fay, Winthrop B., 98; (Goddard, Fay & 
Stone), 238, 241. 

Felting, manufacturing, 108. 

Fenner and Appleton, envelope-makers, 
200. 

Fire, extinguishers, automatic sprinkler, 
noticed, 281. 

Firearms, 89, 97, 121, 141; manufactur- 
ing, 204, 296. 

Fiske, Isaac, 192, 294, 295. 

Fitch, Charles H., boot and shoe manu- 
factory, and copartnerships, 233. 

Fitch, Dana H., 113; (Fitch and Jones), 
115. 

Fitch, Ezra (E. & D. H. Fitch & Co.), 113. 

Fitch, John, 303. 



Fitchburg Gas and Electric Co., 264. 

Fitchburg Railroad Co., 57. 

Fitts, Abraham, 291. 

Flagg, Abraham, 186. 

Flagg, Dexter, 123. 

Flagg, Samuel, 64, 121; machinists' tools, 

293; notice of, 118; copartnerships, 

121, 123. 
Flagg Mills, 46. 

Flannels, manufacturing, 37, 38, 39. 
Fletcher, Edward F. (Bemis & Fletcher), 

241. 
Flexible Door and Shuttle Co., 298. 
Forehand, Sullivan, firearms manufactory, 

176, 206. 
Foster, Albert H. (Lamb & Foster), 293. 
Foster, Alfred D., 111. 
Foster, Calvin, 100, 138, 199. 
Foundries, 111. 
Fowler, (Wadsworth and Fowler), 

39. 
Fowler, Rufus B., 170, 178. 
Fox, WiUiam B., 46, 63, 64, 121. 
Fox, William B. Jr., (Fox and Rice), 

woolen mill, 46, 96. 
Foye, Frank W., 287. 
Freeman , (Joslyn and Freeman), 

211. 
French, Hiram, boot manufactory, 236. 
French's Block, 126, 192. 
French River 32, 42. 
Freshets, 11, 38n. 
Fuller, (Kimball & Fuller), 136, 

137. 
Fuller, George F., 127, 128; president, 

Wyman-Gordon Co., 272. 
Fuller, James A., 129. 
Fulling-mills, 9, 44, 61. 
Fulton, Robert, 303. 
Furbush, Merrill E., (Furbush & Cromp- 

ton), looms, 87, 88, 294; (M. E. Furbush 

& Son Machine Co.), 93. 



Gage, Homer, 128. 

Gage, Thomas H., 263. 

Gallatin, Albert, on card-wire, 142. 



INDEX 



329 



Gardiner, Thomas W., (Porter and Gardi- 
ner), 288. 

Garrett, William, rod rolling mill, de- 
scribed, 178. 

Gas, works, 261. 

Gates, John (2d.), woolen machinery, 66. 

Geb, George F., 33. 

George, Jerome R., 178, 181. 

Georgia Institute of Technology, 310. 

Gilford, Albert W., machine screw manu- 
factory, and inventor, 217, described, 
218; vice-president, Standard Screw Co., 
219. 

Gilbert, Charles W., looms, 94, 268; 
cartridge belt manufactory, 269. 

Gilbert, Daniel, 20. 

Gilbert Loom Works, 93, 95; notice of, 94. 

Gilding and plating, 90. 

Gill, George W., iron rails, 213; manager, 
Washburn Iron Co., 214. 

Glasgow Thread Co., 105. 

Gleason, John, 141. 

Glen Rock Manufacturing Co., 229. 

Glidden, Joseph F., barbed wire patent, 
154, 156. 

Globe Corset Co., 298. 

Glover, Henry W., 33, 34. 

Goddard, , 183. 

Goddard, Benjamin, 173; carding machin- 
ery, 46, 63; wire-mill, 143, 145; partner- 
ship with I. Washburn, 143; dissolved, 
145; woolen machinery, 63, 66, 145; 
carriage maker, 183. 

Goddard, Charles S. (Goddard, Fay & 
Stone), boot and shoe manufacturers, 
238. 

Goddard, Delano, 146. 

Goddard, Dorrance, 146, 173. 

Goddard, Harry W., president and 
treasurer, Spencer Wire Co., 173; presi- 
dent, Mills Woven Cartridge Belt Co., 
270; treasurer, Hobbs Mfg. Co., 275. 

Goddard, Henry, 146. 

Goddard, Isaac, 249; (Goddard and Rice), 
79, 122, 189, 196, 212; (Howe and 
Goddard), 113, 119, 122, 220. 

Goddard, Silas W., woolen machinery, 96. 

Goddard and Parkhurst, 45. 



Golbert, Robert L., last manufactory, 
247. 

Goodell Manufacturing Co., 29, 82. 

Goodnow, George, foundry, 113. 

Gookin, Daniel, 136. 

Gordon, Lyman F. (Wyman-Gordon Co.), 
270, 272, 309. 

Gorham, Hiram, 301. 

Gouche, Franklin J., 294. 

Gould, Albert, 236. 

Goulding, Daniel, tan-yard, 22, and shoe- 
maker, 231. 

Goulding, Henry, 188, 301; woolen ma- 
chinery, 83, 137, and copartnerships, 66; 
mill burnt, 66. 

Goulding, John, inventor American-card, 
64. 

Goulding, Palmer, 231. 

Goulding, Palmer, Jr., tan-yard, 22, and 
shoemaker, 231. 

Goulding, Peter, 247, 296. 

Grafton, manufacturing, 204, 232, 287. 

Granger Water-Gas Co., 263. 

Graphic Arts Building, 297. 

Graton, Henry C. (Graton & Knight), 
leather belt manufacturers, 246. 

Graton and Knight Manufacturing Co., 
incorporated, and noticed, 246, 247. 

Graves, E. , wheelwright, 69. 

Gray, Charles W., 201, 202; president, 
New Eng. Envelope Co., 203. 

Gray, James H., 219. 

Green, CapL, 51, 182. 

Green, James, 182. 

Green, John, 182. 

Green, Jonas U., boot and shoe manufac- 
tory, 241. 

Green, William E., 48, 59. 

Greene, Nathaniel T., steam-engine in- 
ventions, 223, 224. 

Grinding machinery, 252. 

Grist-mills, 9, 10, 22, 36, 39, 42, 43, 44, 45, 
294. 

Groton and Nashua Railroad Co., con- 
solidated, 56. 

Groton Junction, 134. 

Grout, Jonathan, 197. 

Grove Mill, 45, 47. 



330 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Gurnett, Daniel W., president, Economic 

Machinery Co., 280. 
Guy, Walter P., 298. 
Guy Brothers, 298. 



Hackett and Healey, 285. 

Hagenbuch, Lloyd G., (Standard Plunger 
Elevator Co.), 41. 

Hale, Edward E., 305. 

Hale, Joshua, cotton, and wool manufac- 
tory. 27, 42, 63, 68. 

Hale, Mrs. Sarah, manufactory, 63. 

Half -Way River, 43. 

Hall, — , 42. 

Hall, Winthrop G. (Spencer Wire Co.), 
173. 

Hallidie, Andrew S., inventor, 164. 

Hamblin, Prank H. (Hamblin & Russell), 
wire goods manufactory, 175. 

Hamilton, Milo E., 117. 

Hammond, Andrew H., organ-reed manu- 
factory. 194. 

Hanson, Henry L., 299. 

Hapgood, Leander R.. thread manufac- 
tory, 69, 90. 

Harbach, Thomas, 136. 

Harding's Block, 235, 246. 

Hardware, IS, 21. 

Hardy, Charles A., 139. 

Hardy, Levi, 139; (L. Hardy & Co.), 289. 

Harnden, William F., Express, 55. 

Harness, makers, 183. 

Harrington, Charles A., 117. 

Harrington, Edwin, and Co., melodeon 
reeds manufactory, 192. 

Harrington, Edwin C, president, Harring- 
ton & Richardson Arms Co., 210. 

Harrington, Frank C, 117. 

Harrington, Gilbert H., (Harrington and 
Richardson), firearms manufactory, 
noticed, 208. 

Harrington, John W., 258; (Harrington 
& Richardson Arms Co.), 210. 

Harrington and Richardson Arms Co., 
208; noticed, 209. 

Harrington Brothers, 120. 



(Towne & Harring- 



Harrington, 

ton), 295. 
Hart, Jonas S., and Co., 215. 
Hartford Machine Screw Co., 219. 
Harthan, S. Emerson, engine manufac- 
tory, 228, and steam yacht machin- 
ery, 229. 
Hartshorn, Charles W., (Hartshorn & 

Trumbull), envelope manufacturers, 

197. 
Hartshorn, George F., (Hartshorn & 

Trumbull), 197. 
Hartwell, Lovell D. (Price and Hartwell), 

189. 
Harvard, machinery manufacturing, 168. 
Harvey, Peter, 133, 134. 
Harwood and Quincy Machine Co., 129. 
Hastings, Henry W. (Adams & Hastings), 

240. 
Hatch, Windsor, 170. 
Hatch and Barnes, 298. 
Hatch and Gunn, 44. 
Hats, 22. 
Hawes, Russell L., envelope machine 

invention, 203; noticed, 196. 
Hayes, Henry H. (New Eng. Envelope 

Co.), 202, 203. 
Heald, James N. (Heald Machine Co.), 

256, 258. 
Heald, Leander S. (Heald Machine Co.), 

256. 
Heald, Stephen (Heald Machine Co.), 256. 
Heald, William (Heald & Britton), 116. 
Heald Machine Company, 256; described, 

257. 
Heard, Nathan, 21, 50, 143. 
Heedy, H. W., 178. 
Hemp, 65. 
Henshaw, William, (Curtis & Henshaw), 

68. 
Herrick, Robert F., 128. 
Heywood, Albert S., president, Heywood 

Boot & Shoe Co., 239. 
Heywood, Benjamin F., 120, 121, 182, 

293. 
Heywood, Chester D. (Heywood Boot 

& Shoe Co.), 239. 
Heywood, Daniel, paper mill, 41. 



INDEX 



331 



Heywood, Daniel, and Co., 111. 

Heywood, Frank E., vice-president and 
treasurer, Heywood Boot & Shoe Co., 
239. 

Heywood, John, 135. 

Heywood, Reuben B. (Heywood & 
March), 297. 

Heywood, Samuel R., 123; boot and shoe 
manufactory 7 , and copartnerships, 236, 
239, 240; president, Heywood Boot & 
Shoe Co., 239. 

Heywood Boot and Shoe Co., incor- 
porated, officers, and noticed, 239, 
240. 

Higgins, Aldus C. (Norton Co.), 252, 309. 

Higgins, George F. (Allen-Higgins Wall 
Paper Co.) 276. 

Higgins, John W., treasurer, general man- 
ager, Worcester Pressed Steel Co., 273, 
274, 309. 

Higgins, Milton P. (Norton Emery 
Wheel Co.), 252; notice of, 256; plunger 
elevator design, 266 ; president, Plunger 
Elevator Co., 267; president, Worcester 
Pressed Steel Co., 273; development of 
mechanical instruction, 310, 311. 

Hildreth, A. G., 108. 

Hildreth, Charles E., 263; vice-president 
and treasurer, Whitcomb-Blaisdell Ma- 
chine Tool Co., 124, 125. 

Hildreth, Richard, "History of the U. S.," 
cited, 25. 

Hildreth, Samuel E., 124, 263. 

Hill, Edward K., president and manager, 
Wheelock Engine Co., 223, 308; notice 
of, and estimate of Wheelock engine, 
224. 

Hill, Edwin, envelope invention, 196. 

Hill, Sir Rowland, established penny post, 
196. 

Hill, Wade H., 203, (Hill, Devoe & Co.), 
(W. H. Hill Envelope Co.), 197, 201, 
203. 

Hilton, James, shoddy mill, 36. 

Hoar, George F., on scientific education, 
308. 

Hobart, George (March, Hobart & Co.), 
woolen machinery, 46, 66; (Hobart, 



Goulding & Co.), 66. 
Hobbs, Clarence W., president, Hobbs 

Mfg. Co., 275. 
Hobbs Manufacturing Co., 168, 189, 298; 

incorporated, officers, and noticed, 275. 

Hodges, , 38. 

Hoe, Robert, and Co., 189. 

Hogg, William J., carpet-mill, 41, 101, 

103. 
Hogg, William J., Jr., 101, 103. 
Hogg Carpet Mills, 103. 

Holbrook, , 297. 

Holden (Henry H. and Nathan W.) 

Brothers, 266. 
Holden, Howard, 294. 
Holden, saw-mill, 42. 
Holland, Henry, 121. 
Holland Hosiery Co., 108, 289. 
Holman, Joseph P., 125. 
Holmes, Pehr G., 313. 
Holt, Hamilton, 295. 
Holyoke Machine Co., 116, 251. 
Hood, Battell and Co., 294, 295. 
Hoopskirts, manufacturing, 258. 
Hopeville Manufacturing Co., 43. 
Hopkins and Allen Arms Co., 206. 
Hopkinton, boot and shoe making, 232. 
Hornville, origin of name, 43. 
Hosiery, manufacturing, 108, 289. 
Houghton Alba, boot manufactory, and 

copartnership, 236, 239. 
Houghton Charles C, boot manufactory, 

and copartnership, 236. 
Houghton, Frank N. (C. C. Houghton & 

Co.), 236. 
Houghton, Hannibal H. (Thayer, Hough- 
ton & Co.), 70, 121, 294. 
Hovey, Charles, and Co., 293. 
Hovey, William, machinery, 28, 46, 51, 

61, 62, 65, 82, 140, 287; (Hovey & 

Lazell), 293. 
Howard, Albert H., 78. 
Howard, C, 131. 
Howard, Charles A., 78. 
Howard, John P., 78. 
Howard, William H., looms, 29, 67, 82, 

83; lead pipe, 46, 143; woolen machin- 
ery, 143. 



332 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Howard and Dinsmore, Court Mills, 46, 
72, 79. 

Howard Brothers Manufacturing Co., 78, 
79. 

Howe, Archelaus M., 248. 

Howe, Elias, sewing machine invented, 
304. 

Howe, Henry P. (Howe and Goddard), 
113, 119, 122, 220, 249. 

Howe, Levi, 131. 

Howe, Lyman (Davis & Howe), 188; 
(Howe, Cheney & Co.), 189. 

Howe, Thomas, and Co., boot manufac- 
turers, 233. 

Howe and Jefferson, 96. 

Howland, Henry J., "Heart of the Com- 
monwealth," cited, 12. 

Hoyle, Charles E., woolen manufactory, 
and copartnerships, 32. 

Hoyle, Edwin, 32. 

Hoyt, Henry A., 140. 

Hubbard, John T., boot and shoe maker, 
noticed, 233. 

Hubbardston, copperas mine, 182. 

Hudson, Horace O., 247. 

Hudson, William, 237. 

Hugo, Frederick V. (Colonial Envelope 
Co.), 203. 

Hunstable, Samuel L., 183, 184. 

Hunt, W. D., barbed wire patent, 155. 

Hunt's Mill, 40. 

Hurlbert, Edwin H., 237. 

Hutchins, Charles F. (Standard Foundry 
Co.), 118. 

Hutchins, Charles H., 174; president, 
Knowles Loom Works, 92, and Cromp- 
ton & Knowles, 93, 94; Narrow Fabric 
Co., 107; president, U. S. Envelope Co., 
201. 

Hutchins, George F., manager and super- 
intendent Loom Works, 92, 93 94; 
loom patent, 94. 

Hutchins Narrow Fabric Co., 107. 

Hutchinson, Hollingsworth & Co., 92. 



I 

Illinois Screw Co., 219. 

Indian Hill Community, I. Tarbell on, 
255. 

Industrial education, development, 308, 
309, 310, 311, 312. 

Ingalls, George W. & Co., organ-reed 
manufactory, 194. 

Ingraham, Nathaniel H., president, Taber 
Organ Co., 193. 

Iron, 21, 25, 50; foundries, 111, mal- 
leable, 114; forgers, 270. 

Ives, Chauncey, 229. 



Jackson Street Foundry, 116. 

Jacobs and Clarke, 298. 

Jacques, John, 141. 

Jail, 46. 

James, Benjamin, 41. 

Jamesville, manufacturing, 37, 40, 41. 

Janes, Lewis H. (Wire Goods Co.), 174. 

Jefferson, Thomas, on plows, 131. 

Jefferson Manufacturing Co., 96. 

Jenckes, E., Manufacturing Co., 175. 

Jenks, Hadwin B., boot and shoe manu- 
factory, 237. 

Jeppson, George N. (Norton Co.), 252. 

Jeppson, John (Norton Emery Wheel Co.) 
252. 

Jewett, N. B., melodeon, 191, and sera- 
phine maker, 294. 

Johnson, Iver, and Co., 211. 

Johnson, John, 24. 

Johnson, Rodney A. N., and Co., 95, 294; 
(Johnson and Bassett), 97, 99. 

Johnson, Samuel, tannery, 26. 

Johnson and Bassett Co., 97, 99. 

Jones, Erasmus, carding-machines, 25, 61. 

Jones, Evan F., treasurer and general 
manager, Morgan Spring Co., 178. 

Jones, John P., 124. 

Jones, Luke (Woodcock, Jones & Co.), 
186. 

Jones, Nathaniel, 10. 

Jones, Willard, (Fitch & Jones), 115. 

Jordan, Marsh and Co., woolen mill, 97. 



INDEX 



333 



Joslyn, Benjamin F., firearms inventions, 

141; noticed, 211, 212. 
Josslyn, Edward, 188. 
Jourdan, William H., 100. 
Junction Foundry Co., 115. 



Kabley, Arnold, and Co., 118. 
Karcheski, , first hand-made 

envelopes, 196. 
Kelly, Michael, barbed wire patent, no- 
ticed, 155. 
KendaU, Henry P., 128. 
Kent, Charles F., card-clothing, 79. 
Kent, Daniel W., 37. 
Kent, Prentiss J. (Kent & Bancroft), 125. 
Kent, Prescott G., and copartnerships, 

37, 41. 
Kettell, John P., 301. 
Kettle Brook, source, 31; mill privileges, 

36; course, 41. 
Keyes, Israel N. (J. L. & I. N. Keyes), 

295. 
Keyes, John L. (J. L. & I. N. Keyes), 295. 
Kilmer, Frank (Spencer Wire Co.), 173. 
Kimball, Abel, woolen machinery, 67, 68; 

(Kimball & Fuller), 136, 137. 
Kimball, Edwin N., 195. 
Kindred, Henry, 128; (Kindred & Taylor), 

117. 
Kindred, James, 128. 
King Philip's War, 9. 
Kirk, Hutchins and Stoddard, 35. 
Kittredge, Henry G., and Gould, A. C, 

"A Century Old," cited, 80. 
Knapp, Henry H., 128. 
Kniffen, L. G., 135. 
Knight, Ethel O. (Clark and Knight), 

229. 
Knight, Joseph A. (Graton & Knight), 

leather belt manufacturers, 246. 
Knives, machine, manufactory, 140, 288. 
Knowles, Frank B., 35; heirs, 35; loom 

works, noticed, 90. 



Knowles, Frank P. (Crompton & Knowles 
Loom Works), 93. 

Knowles, Lucius J., 35; thread manufac- 
turer, 69, 90; notice of, 89, and loom 
works, 90. 

♦Knowles, Lucius J. [2] (Crompton & 
Knowles Loom Works), 94; (Reed- 
Prentice Co.), 127, 128. 

Knowles Loom Works, 91, 296; incorpor- 
ated, 92, and consolidated, 93. 



Labeling machines, manufactory, noticed, 
278. 

Labor, 130; discontent, 27; nationalities, 
35, 38, 39, 40, 41, 72, 104, 109, 125, 
160, 166, 172, 175, 244, 250, 261, 276, 
313; wages, 74; benefit societies, 105, 
172; welfare work, 165, 255; apprentices, 
188; salaries of technical and trade 
trained men compared, 310; improved 
conditions, 318. 

Lady Carrington, canal-boat, 50. 

Lakin, Ansel, boot and shoe manufactur- 
ing, and copartnerships, 234. 

Lamb, Edward (Lamb and Foster), 293. 

Lancaster, John E., 298. 

Lamed' s Village, 35. 

Lathe, Martin (Lathe and Morse Tool 
Co.), 120, 293; (Shepard, Lathe & Co.), 
120, 212, 296, 297. 

Lathes, manufactory, 33, 118, 297; inven- 
tion, 304. 

Lavigne Machine Screw Co., 219. 

Lawrence, Abbott, 304. 

Lawrence, Edward, 294. 

Lawrence, Joseph B., 122. 

Lazell, Warren (Hovey & LazeU), 293. 

Lead, black, mine, 24; grinding mill, 45; 
pipes, 46, 51; aqueduct factory, 60. 

Leather, 22; heavy taxes, 26; boots and 
shoes in exchange, 232; belting manu- 
facturing, 246. 



*Luciua J. Knowles was elected on March 1, 1917, to succeed Charles H. Hutchins as President of 
the Crompton & Knowles Loom Works. 



334 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Lee, George C, 128. 

Legg, J. Francis, 98. 

Legg, James, Jr., woolen manufactory, 
and copartnership, 98. 

Legg, John, woolen manufactory, and 
copartnerships, 98. 

Leggett, William, 184, 301. 

Leicester, manufacturing, 36, 74, 77, 113, 
136, 142. 

Leonard, Samuel S., Express, 55. 

Light, Joseph F. (Wood, Light & Co.), 
115, 119, 120, 124, 125, 212, 214; 
(Woodburn, Light & Co.), 119. 

Lincoln, Abraham, 23 ; grist mill, and trip- 
hammer shop, 22, 25, 45, 61. 

Lincoln, John W., 28, 48. 

Lincoln, Levi, 48. 

Lincoln, Waldo, Venetian Red and Cop- 
peras Works, 162, 182. 

Lincoln, William, "History," cited, 11, 
14. 

Lincoln family, Quinsigamond lands, 147. 

Linen Thread Co., 107. 

Linnell, Elijah C. (Rawson & Linnell), 
boot and shoe manufactory, 238. 

Liscomb, Nathaniel S., 263. 

Little, Charles J., 98. 

Logan, James, envelope manufactory, and 
copartnership with G. H. Lowe, 200, 
dissolved, 200; copartnership with H. 
D. and D. W. Swift and J. S. Brigham, 
201, 299, and merged into the U. S. 
Envelope Co., 201. 

Lombard, Nathan A., 47, 143, 279; wool- 
en machinery, and copartnerships, 66, 
125. 

Long, Alfred W., 241. 

Looms, manufacturing, 24, 29, 32, 65, 67, 
69, 72, 168, 294; inventions, 100, 168, 
304; described, 81. 

Lorillard, Jacob, 229. 

Loring, John W. (Loring and Blake Organ 
Co.), 193, 298; noticed, 192. 

Lovell, John P., Company, 210. 

Lowe, Everett M. (Emerson, Lowe and 
Barber Co.), 201. 

Lowe, George H. (Logan and Lowe En- 
velope Co.), 200. 



Lund, Joseph W., 128. 

Lynde Brook, 31, 38; dam destroyed, 38, 

39, 41. 
Lyons, Albert E., president, Allen-Higgins 

Wall Paper Co., 278. 

M 

McCarty, John (National Awl Co.), 287. 

McCloud, Charles C. (McCloud, Crane, 
& Minter), machine screws manu- 
factory, 219; noticed, 220. 

McFarland, David, card machines, 79, 
297. 

McFarland, Ephraim, 19. 

McFarland, Warren, iron foundry, and 
copartnerships, 113, 114. 

Machine Lathe Co., 296. 

Machiner} 7 , manufacturing, 24, 26, 60, 62, 
70, 71, 114. 

M elver (William B. and John C.) Bros. 
& Co., word- working machinery manu- 
factory, 120, 190. 

Mackin, Jeremiah J., 128. 

Mann, Asa, 27. 

Mann, Billings (Mann Brothers), 36, 37. 

Mann, George, notice of, 36. 

Mann (George & Billings), Brothers 36,37. 

Manning, John, 183. 

Mannville, manufacturing, 36. 

Manufacturers Wool Stock Co., officers, 
34. 

Marble, Albert C, superintendent, Curtis 
& Marble Machine Co., 71. 

Marble, Charles F., treasurer, Curtis & 
Marble Machine Co., 71. 

Marble, Edwin H., president, Curtis & 
Marble Machine Co., 71. 

Marble, Edwin T., business career, no- 
ticed, 70. 

Marble, Solomon, 32. 

Marble, William C, vice-president and 
secretary, Curtis & Marble Machine 
Co., 71. 

March, Andrew (March, Hobart & Co.), 
woolen machinery, 46, 66; (Heywood & 
March), 297. 

March, George, 28. 



INDEX 



335 



Mark Twain, see Clemens, S. L. 
Marshall, Clinton S., manager, American 

Steel & Wire Co., 162. 
Mascarene, John, on manufacture of 

potash, 13. 
Mason, J. Fred, 288. 
Mason, John C, 96; (Ruggles, Nourse 

and Mason); 36, 119, 132, 133, 137, 139, 

141, 188, 261, 293. 
Mason, Lemuel G., 123. 
Mason Brush Works, 288. 
Mason-Risch Co., 298. 
Massachusetts, canal-boat, 51. 
Massachusetts Board of Gas and Electric 

Light Co., 265. 
Massachusetts Coal Co., 58. 
Massachusetts Corset Co., 259, 275, 

298. 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 

305. 
"Massachusetts Spy," scarcity of paper, 

18. 
Matches, 41. 

Mawhinney, Samuel, 129; last manu- 
factory, and copartnerships, 247, 294. 
Mechanics Association, see Worcester 

County Mechanics Association. 
Mechanics Hall, erection, 302. 
Merriam, Henry H., 92, 93. 
Merriam, Rufus N. (Richardson, Merriam 

& Co.), 115. 
Merrick, Francis T., 50. 
Merrick, Pliny, on Worcester manufac- 
tories, 306. 
Merrifield, Alpheus (Trowbridge & Merri- 

field), 62, 63. 
Merrifield, William T., buildings, 42, 43, 

67, 87, 88, 95, 99, 119, 121, 122, 123, 

205, 220, 221, 223, 227, 235, 287; 

noticed, 293. 
Messer, Walter L. (Norton Emery Wheel 

Co.), 252. 
Metal stamping, 272, 289. 
Metcalf, John, 69. 
Metropolitan Water and Sewage Board, 

264. 
Meyer, August C. (Colonial Envelope 

Co.), 203. 



Middle River, 32. 

Middlesex Mills, 85. 

Midgley, Herbert, 79. 

Miles, Edward B. (Whitcomb & Miles), 
240. 

Miles, Eugene F. (Whitman & Miles), 
135. 

Milford, manufacturing, 204, 232, 235. 

Mill Brook, mill privileges, 10, 12, 17, 18, 
22, 32, 42, 44, 47, 119, 133, 145; water- 
shed, 44. 

Millbury, manufacturing, 29, 32, 34, 204, 
249. 

Millbury Rolling Mill Co., 28. 

Millbury Scouring Co., 34, 35. 

Miller, Henry W., 137, 138, 287, 293, 
301; (Rice and Miller), 82, 111, 131. 

Miller Press and Machine Co., 71. 

Mills, Anson, cartridge belt, invention, 
268. 

Minter, Henry (McCloud, Crane and 
Minter), 219. 

Moen, Philip L., 167; Wire Works, 147, 
148, 150, 152, 161; cotton mill, 151. 

Moen, Philip W., 167; (Washburn and 
Moen Mfg. Co.), 161; (Am. Steel & 
Wire Co.), 162. 

Montgomery, James, thread mill, 107. 

Morgan, Charles F., 178. 

Morgan, Charles H., 159n.; founder, Mor- 
gan Spring Co., 170, 177, and Morgan 
Construction Co., 170, 178; superintend- 
ent, Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co., 176, 
178; rod-rolling invention, 179; plunger 
elevator design, 266. 

Morgan, Francis H., incorporator, Mor- 
gan Spring Co., 177, and treasurer, 177, 
178. 

Morgan, Paul B., president, Morgan 
Spring, Co., 178, and Morgan Con- 
struction Co., 181, 309, and Heald 
Machine Co., 258. 

Morgan, Ralph L., Co., 127. 

Morgan Construction Co., 170, 178, 309; 
rod-rolling, described, 179; extensive 
operations, 181. 

Morgan Spring Co., 170, 173, 298; no- 
ticed, 177. 



336 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Morse, Edwin A. (Lathe & Morse Tool 
Co.), 120, 293. 

Morse, John R., gun factory, 204. 

Morse, Milton M., melodeon maker, 191. 

Morse, Robert C, 128. 

Morse, Samuel F. B., electric telegraph 
invented, 304. 

Mower, Ephraim, tavern, 23, 26. 

Mullbery Grove, 36. 

Multiple Woven Hose Co., 298. 

Munroe (William) Organ Reed Co., 
299; noticed, 194. 

Munyan, Jonathan, shoe manufactory, 
235, 238. 

Musical instruments, manufacturing, 190, 
191, 294, 295. 

Muzzy, Edwin A., boot and shoe manu- 
factory, 237, 241. 

Muzzy, Franklin A., 237. 

Myrick and Sugden, 170. 

N 

Nails, manufacturing, 289. 
Narragansett Electric Lighting Co., 265. 
Nashua and Rochester Railroad Co., 

chartered, and consolidated, 56. 
National Awl Co., 287. 
National Manufacturing Co., 173, 175, 

177, 298. 
Nazro, John, potash works, 14. 
New England Corset Co., 260. 
New England Envelope Co., officers, 202. 
New England Power Co., 264. 
New England Railroad Co., 54. 
New Haven Manufacturing Co., 119. 
New York Central and Hudson River 

Railroad Co., 54. 
New York, New Haven and Hartford 

Railroad Co., 54, 56. 
New York Steam-Engine Co., 121. 
Newell, Bertram S., vice-president and 

treasurer, Heywood Boot & Shoe Co., 

239. 
Newell, Foster, 233. 
Newhall, Samuel, 24. 
Newton, Albert E., 128. 
Newton, Courtland, 235. 



Newton, Edmund, 291. 

Niagara Falls, Norton Co., plant, 254. 

Nightingale, Edwin J. (Corliss & Night- 
ingale), 296. 

Niles-Bement-Pond Co., 122. 

Norcross, Orlando W., 170; notice of, 286. 

Norcross Brothers Co., 286. 

North Brookfield, boot and shoe manufac- 
turing, 232. 

North Pond, area, 44. 

Northridge, Benjamin F., Co., 38. 

Northville, factories, 46, 47, 141, 143, 146, 
217. 

Norton, Frank B., pottery, 251. 

Norton Agricultural Society, 255. 

Norton Company, 309; officers, 252. 

Norton Emery Wheel Co., incorpora- 
ted, and officers, 252. 

Norton Grinding Co., described, 253. 

Norwich and Worcester Railroad Co., 
charted, and regular trips, 54; leased, 
54. 

Nourse, J. and J., 131. 

Nourse, Joel (Ruggles, Nourse & Mason), 
36, 119, 132, 133, 137, 139, 188, 261, 293. 

Nye, Samuel D., wheel manufactory, 
215. 



O. & J. Machine Co., 280. 

Oakley, William, 117. 

O'Leary, Thomas, 115. 

Oliver, Charles W., 45. 

Olney, George W., 38. 

O'Neill, Charles A., 288. 

Organs, manufacturing, 190. 

Orndorff, Thomas C, cartridge belt man- 
ufactory, 269. 

Orr, George F., 285. 

Orr, James E., president and treasurer, 
Worcester Bleach and Dye Works, 286. 

Otis, Benjamin B., boot and shoe manufac- 
tory, and copartnerships, 233. 

Otis, John C, 233, 291. 

Otis Elevator Company, 256, 267, 268. 

Oulton, John, 10. 



INDEX 



337 



Packachoag Spinning Mill, 101, 103. 

Packard, Sumner & Co., 287. 

Paine, Frederick W., 45, 46, 66, 86, 143. 

Paine, William, 23, 45. 

Palmer, Daniel 294. 

Palmer, Henry, and Co., 294. 

Palmer, Thomas, saw-mill, 10. 

Palmer Carpet Co., 103. 

Palmer Wire Goods Co., 169. 

Pameacha factory, 82. 

Pan-American Match Co., 41. 

Paper, manufacturing, 10, 18, 19, 21, 40, 

41, 44, 45, 47, 60, 111, 147; "Early 

Paper Mills," 18; rags solicited, 19; I. 

Thomas's mill, 19, 20; labor, 20; Crane 

mills, 20; machinery, 249. 
Park, Halford W., 284. 
Park Corset Works, 259. 
Parker (Arthur H.) Wire Goods Co., 175. 
Parker, John H., Co., 124. 
Parkhurst, , (Goddard & Park- 
hurst,) 45; (Capron & Parkhurst), 

68. 
Parmelee, Arthur W., president and 

treasurer, Wire Goods Co., 174. 
Parsons, Solomon, 40. 
Parsons Brook, 31. 
Partridge, Elbridge G., 301; (Partridge & 

Taber), 191. 
Patch's Mills, 43. 
Pay son, Thomas, 23. 
Pearl ashes, for taxes, 14. 
Pearson, Walter B., president, Standard 

Screw Co., 219. 
Pearson Machine Co., 219. 
Pease, Henry C, and Co., 247. 
Peat, value as fuel, 60, 150; company 

formed, 60. 
Penniman, Newton, 235. 
Percy Rug Co., 104. 

Pero, Edward, (Pero Foundry Co.), 117. 
Pero, Miss Ida C, (Pero Foundry Co.), 

117. 
Pero, Prespey, president, Pero Foundry 

Co., 117. 



Perry Grist-Mills, 47. 

Pfaffman, Philip M., satinet manufactory, 
40. 

Phelps, Horatio (Phelps & Bickford), 
loom manufactory, 67, 83, 86, 120, 
188, 287. 

Phelps, Dodge and Co., 451. 

Phenix Plate Co., 289. 

Phillips, Oscar (Heywood Boot & Shoe 
Co.), 239. 

Phillips, R. B., Manufacturing Co., 127. 

Phillipston, wire factory, 142. 

Pianos, manufacturing, 194; player, 195. 

Pickett, Josiah, 263. 

Pierce, Joseph F. (Arnold & Pierce), 118. 

Pierson, John G. (Farley, Pierson & Co.), 
melodeon makers, 191. 

Pirie, Alexander, and Son, envelope- 
makers, 200. 

Pistol Shop Barracks, 97. 

Pitman, Edward F., 125. 

Place, M., and Co., 109. 

Planing machines, manufacturing, 129, 188. 

Plates, ferrotype, manufacturing, 289. 

Plows, manufacturing, 23, 36, 131. 

Plunger Elevator Co., 256, 268; organ- 
ized, officers, 267. 

Plympton, James L., 260. 

Pond, Lucius W., 121, 122, 125, 294; 
Machine and Foundry Co., 115; rifle- 
gun invention, 212. 

Pond and Lamed, 35. 

Pond Machine Tool Co., 122. 

Pondville Woolen Co., 35. 

Poole, Willard C, 202; vice-president, 
New Eng. Envelope Co., 203. 

Porter, Samuel, 83; (S. Porter & Co.), 
last manufactory, 194, and (Porter 
and Gardiner), 288, 299. 

Postage, 28. 

Potash, manufacturing, 13; encouraged by 
Gov. Bowdoin, 14; advertisement, 15. 

Pottery, 25, 251. 

Powell, Albert M. (Woodward & Powell 
Planer Co.), noticed, 129. 

Powell Planer Co., 126, 127, 129. 

Pratt, Henry S., president, Worcester 
Envelope Co., 202. 



338 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Pratt, Joseph, 301. 

Pratt, Sumner, thread mill, 69, 90. 

Pratt and Earle, 76. 

Prentice, (Wheelock and Pren- 
tice), 82. 

Prentice (Albert F. and Vernon F.), 
Brothers, notice of, 126. 

Prentice, Vernon F. (Prentice Brothers), 
126. 

Prescott, Abraham, 191. 

Presses, copying, 122. 

Price, Charles, planing machine manufac- 
tory, 189. 

Prince, Thomas (Reed-Prince Mfg. Co.), 
176. 

Printing, materials, 24. 

Prouty, Calvin L. (Prouty & Earle), 146. 

Prouty, Elliot, 170. 

Prouty Press, 298. 

Providence, canal-boat, 51. 

Providence and Worcester Railroad Co., 
51; chartered, leased, 56. 

Pullman, George M., 185. 

Pumps, steam, manufacturing, 228. 

Putnam, George, 280. 

Putnam, Otis E., 202. 

Putnam, Solomon, 137. 

Putnam Machine Co., 135. 

Q 

Queensbury Mills, 78. 

Quinsigamond, plantation, 10; mills, 10, 

19, 44, 47, 111, 147, 149. 
Quinsigamond Iron and Wire Works, 

consolidated, 152. 
Quinsigamond Pressed Steel Co., 124. 



R 



Rails, iron, 213, and steel, described, 215. 

Ramsdell, Frederick M. (Rawson & 
Ramsdell Co.), 299. 

Ramseyer, Edward, 32. 

Ramshorn Mills, 33. 

Ramshorn Stream, 31, 42, 43; mill privi- 
leges, 32, 35, 36, 69. 

Randall, Reuben, 76. 



Ranlet, Charles, manager, American Steel 
& Wire Co., 162. 

Rawson, Daniel G., boot and shoe manu- 
factory, and copartnerships, 238, 241. 

Rawson, Louis W. (Rawson & Ramsdell 
Co.), 299. 

Razors, manufacturing, 251. 

Read, C, and Co., wood screws, 144, 216. 

Read, Clement O., 143. 

Read, Curtis, 143. 

Read, Henry, 143. 

Reay, George H., envelope machine 
invention, 198. 

Red Mills, 46, 119, 220, 249. 

Redding and Harrington, organ-reed 
invention, 194. 

Reed, Chester T., 176. 

Reed, E. Howard (Reed-Prince Mfg. Co.), 
176. 

Reed, Edgar, 263; president, Reed-Prince 
Mfg. Co., 176. 

Reed, Frederick E., 118; lathe manufac- 
tory, noticed, 126. 

Reed, Samuel G., 294, 295. 

Reed and Curtis Machine Screw Co., 127. 

Reed and Prince Manufacturing Co., 309; 
incorporated, and officers, 176. 

Reed Foundry Co., 127. 

Reed-Prentice Co., notice of , 127. 

Reeds, manufacturing, 290. 

Reservoirs, 36, 39, 42, 139. 

Rheutan, Abraham A., envelope machine 
invention, 198, 203. 

Rice, Edward B., 184, 301. 

Rice, Frederick W. (Carter, Rice & Co.), 
200. 

Rice, George F., 295. 

Rice, George M. (Goddard, Rice & Co.,), 
79, 122, 189, 249; (Rice, Barton & Fales 
Co.), 216, 249. 

Rice, George T., cotton mill, 44; (Rice 
and Miller), 82, 111, 131. 

Rice, George T., Jr. (Fox & Rice), 46, 96. 

Rice, Herbert M., 116. 

Rice, Thomas, 189. 

Rice, Thomas H., planing machine manu- 
factory, 189. 



INDEX 



339 



Rice, William E., president and treasurer, 

Worcester Wire Co., 167. 
Rice, William W., 100, 258. 
Rice, Barton and Fales, Machine and 

Iron Co., 119, 216, 229, 249; business, 

noticed, 250. 
Rich, John (Williams, Rich & Co.), 293. 
Rich, John S., 35. 
Richards, Ransom (Richards & Smith), 

294. 
Richardson, Albion P., mowing machines, 

and copartnerships, 135; (Richardson 

& Mawhinney), 247, 294. 
Richardson, Horace A. (Richardson, 

Merriam & Co.), 115. 
Richardson, Seneca M. (Witherby, Rugg 

and Richardson), 189, 190, 275. 
Richardson, William A. (Harrington and 

Richardson), firearms manufactory, 

noticed, 208. 
Richardson Manufacturing Co., 135. 
Riley, R. Sanford (Sanford Riley Stoker 

Co.), 253, 309. 
River Mill, 106. 

Riverside and Oswego Mills, 92. 
Robinson, Jeremiah, 204. 
Rockwood, George I., 309; president and 

treasurer, Rockwood Sprinkler Co., 284. 
Rockwood Sprinkler Co., 97, 309; in- 
corporated, 282; various devices, 283; 

officers, 284. 
Rogers, Caleb B., and Co., 188. 
Rogers, Thomas M., 263. 
Rollins, Robert W., president and general 

manager, Worcester Electric Light Co., 

263. 
Rope, 21. 

Roy, Bozil S., 109. 
Roy, Sylvanus B., 110. 
Royal Worcester Corset Co., 168; noticed, 

259. 
Ruddy, Robert, 106. 
Ruddy Thread Co., 106, 107. 
Rugg, Gilbert J. (Witherby, Rugg and 

Richardson), 189, 190, 275. 
Ruggles, Draper (Ruggles, Nourse and 

Mason), agricultural implements, and 

wrench manufactory, 36, 119, 132, 



133, 137, 139, 188, 261, 293. 

Ruggles, Franklin L., 79. 

Russell, George W. (Tolman & Russell), 
carriage manufactory, 184, 186, no- 
ticed, 187. 

Russell, Herbert J., 188; (H. J. and J. 
W. Russell), 187. 

Russell, James W. (H. J. and J. W. 
Russell), 187. 

Russell, John M., 92. 

Russell, William T. (Hamblin & Russell), 
175. 

Rutland, manufacturing, 173, 290. 



Salisbury, Samuel (Samuel and Stephen 
Salisbury), 21. 

Salisbury, Stephen [1] (Samuel and Ste- 
phen Salisbury), 21. 

Salisbury, Stephen [2], buildings, 67, 108, 
135, 292, 293, 297, 298, 299. 

Salisbury, Stephen [3], 45, 263; buildings, 
145, 297, 298, 299. 

Sampson, A., 294. 

Sampson and Tappan, 134. 

Sanford Riley Stoker Co., 253, 309. 

Sargent, Edward, (Sargent Card-Clothing 
Co.), 77, 78. 

Sargent, Joseph, 90, 100. 

Sargent, Joseph, Jr., 100, 101. 

Sargent, Joseph B., card-clothing, 77. 

Sargent, Joseph B., [2] (Sargent Card- 
Clothing Co.), 77. 

Sargent Card-Clothing Co., 77, 79. 

Sash and blind, factory, 46, 147. 

Satinets, manufacturing, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 
43, 69, 70. 

Savels, Orvis M., and Co., die manu- 
facturers. 

Savery, Stephen A., 32, 33. 

Saw-mills, 9, 10, 35, 36, 37, 42, 43, 44. 

Saws, manufacturing, 25, 287, 290. 

Sawyer, Joseph A., 123. 

Sawyer, Thomas J., 124. 

Schofield, Fred G., 125. 

Schott, Herman, envelope-maker, 200. 

Scofield, William B., looms manufactory, 
93; (Worcester Thread Co.), 106. 



340 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Scott, Edgar F., 178. 
Scott, Harry L., 203. 
Scott, Sidney M. (Colonial Envelope Co.), 

203. 
Scott and Smith, shoe manufactory, 233. 
Screws, wood, patent, 24, 143, 216; blunt 

pointed, 45; machinery manufacturing, 

176; described, 218. 
Scythes, 33. 
Sears, Alden H., 45. 
Severn Valley Carpet Works, 101. 
Sewage system, 46, 47. 
Seward, Edwin J., treasurer, Royal Wor- 
cester Corset Co., 259. 
Sewing machines, manufacturing, 294, 

295; invented, 304. 
Shaw, Luther, and Son, brass foundry, 

117. 
Shears, machinery, 46, 61, 65, 70, 140, 141. 
Sheffield, Joseph E., 304. 
Shepard, John, 38. 
Shepard, Russell R. (Shepard, Lathe & 

Co.), 120, 212, 296, 297. 
Shepard, William, 29. 
Sherman (John A.) Envelope Co., organ- 
ized, and incorporated, 202. 
Shingles, mill, 36, 40. 
Shoddy, mill, 35, 36, 37. 
Shoes, see Boots. 

Shrewsbury, plow manufactory, 131. 
Sibley, Willis E., 263. 
Sickles, factory, 21. 
Sikes, Reuben, tavern, 48. 
Silver, mine, exploration, and ores, 11; 

location, 12. 
Simmons, Charles R., 290. 
Simmons, John, woolen machinery, and 

copartnership, 68. 
Simmons and Wilder, 63. 
Simplex Player Action Co., noticed, 195. 
Simpson, Henry Y., 238. 
Sinclair, Harry R. (W. & S. Mfg. Co.), 274, 

309; president, Worcester Stamped 

Metal Co., 275. 
Skates, manufacturing, 260. 
Skinner, Franklin (Thomson, Skinner 

& Co.), 119. 
Slater, Samuel, card-clothing machine, 76 ; 



on Worcester steam engines, 306. 
Slocomb, Harding, gunsmith, 204. 
Slocomb, Samuel (Slocomb & Stickel), 

115. 

Smith, (Scott & Smith), 233. 

Smith, Albert E., mills, 37, 39. 

Smith, Benjamin F. (March, Hobart <fe 

Co.), 66. 
Smith, C. H. (U. T. and C. H. Smith), 

296. 
Smith, Channing, mills, 37, 38, 39. 
Smith, Charles W. (C. W. & J. E. Smith), 

42. 
Smith, Daniel (Richards and Smith), 294. 
Smith, Eleazar, 142. 
Smith, Frank C, 43. 
Smith, Frank C, Jr., 125. 
Smith, Fred H., 263. 
Smith, George A. (Wilson & Smith), 274; 

(George A. Smith Co.), 275. 
Smith, Harry W., loom patent, 94; 

Wachusett Mills, 288. 
Smith, James, and Co., 78. 
Smith, John, 22, 42. 
Smith, L. B., barbed wire patent, 155. 
Smith, Malcolm K., Co., builders' finish, 

44. 
Smith, Morrison, (Smith, Barr & Co.), 

106. 
Smith, Sumner, 51, 111. 
Smith, Thomas, 274, 296; noticed, 287. 
Smith, U. T. and C. H., 296. 
Smith, Barr and Co., 106. 
Smythe, Robert L., 236. 
Smythe, William A. S., shoe manufactory, 

236. 
Snyder, John E. (Currier & Snyder), and 

(J. E. Snyder & Son), 129. 
Snyder, Milton C. (J. E. Snyder & Son), 

129. 
Somers (Patrick E. and Edmund, Jr.) 

Brothers, 289. 
South Framingham, 134. 
South Junction Shop, 97. 
Spaulding, Walter M., president, Graton 

& Knight Mfg. Co., 247. 
Speis, Adam W., 205. 
Spencer, Daniel E., 237. 



INDEX 



341 



Spencer, manufacturing, 90, 142, 170. 
Spencer Wire Co., noticed, 170; officers, 
173. 

Spinning, machinery, 26, 27, 62, 99. 

Sprague, Augustus B. R., 263. 

Springside Dye Works, 285. 

Stafford, George W., Co., 93. 

Stages, routes, 60; manufacturing, 187. 

Staib, Frederick, vice-president, Allen- 
Higgins Wall Paper Co., 278. 

Stake, Herman, vice-president, manager, 
Economic Machinery Co., 280. 

Standard Foundry Co., incorporated, and 
officers, 118. 

Standard Plunger Elevator Co., officers, 
41, 268. 

Standard Screw Co., incorporated, 218, 
and officers, 219. 

Staples, Charles E., 296. 

Star Foundry, 117. 

Stark, Edward H. and Oliver N., boot 
and shoe manufacturers, 238. 

Stark, Oliver N. (E. H. and O. N. Stark), 
238. 

Stationery, manufacturing, 285. 

Steam Music Co., 192. 

Steel, Bessemer plant, 214; pressed, 272. 

Steele, Albert H., and Brother, 93. 

Steele, William M. (A. H. Steele & Bro- 
ther), 93. 

Stevens, Thomas, cabinet-maker, 24. 

Stevens, William X., gun invention, 212. 

Stevens, John T., (Mann & Stevens), 37. 

Stewart, Charles, boiler works, and co- 
partnerships, 229, 230. 

Stewart, Charles M. (Stewart Boiler 
Works), 230. 

Stewart, James C. (Stewart Boiler Works), 
230. 

Stewart, John C. (Stewart Boiler Works), 
230. 

Stewart Boiler Works, 229. 

Stickel, Fred W. (Slocomb & Stickel), 115. 

Stoddard, Harry G., manager, American 
Steel & Wire Co., 162; vice-president 
and treasurer, Wyman-Gordon Co. ,272. 

Stoddard, Joshua C, steam calliope 
inventor, 192. 



Stone, Arthur M. (Goddard, Fay & Stone) 
238, 241. 

Stone, Bertrand, 234. 

Stone, Edward S., 192, 234. 

Stone, Jeremy, 41. 

Stone, Nathaniel (Wolcot and Stone), 
233. 

Stone, Timothy S., boot and shoe manu- 
factory, and copartnerships, 234. 

Stoneville Mill, 41. 

Stoneville Pond, 41. 

Stoneville Worsted Co., 41. 

Stoves, manufacturing, 113, 115. 

Stowe, Aaron F., 247. 

Stowe, Luther, boot and shoe manufac- 
tory, and copartnerships, 237, 241. 

Stowe, Martin A. (Whitcomb, Dadmun 
& Stowe), 240. 

Stowell, Abel, clock and watch maker, 22; 
wood-screw patent, 24, 216; shop and 
lands, 24. 

Stowell, Cornelius, 23, 24. 

Stowell, Ebenezer, 24. 

Stowell, Peter, 24. 

Stowell, Thomas, 28. 

Stowell, William, 28, 67, 136. 

Streeter, Clarence H., 290. 

Struthers, Ohio, Morgan Spring Co., 
plant, 177. 

Sugden, Richard, president, Spencer Wire 
Co., 170; (Hobbs Mfg. Co.), 275. 

Sutton, John, 51. 

Sutton, Thomas, 51; mill with first iron 
water-wheel, 43. 

Sutton, manufacturing, 18, 19, 25, 34. 

Sweetser, Seth, 306, 307. 

Swift, D. Wheeler, envelope machine 
inventions, 198, 199, 203, and auto- 
matic printing press, noticed, 199. 

Swift, Henry D., envelope machine inven- 
tions, 198, 199, 203, and automatic 
printing press, noticed, 199. 



Tacks, manufacturing, 289. 
Taber, William B. (Partridge & Taber), 
191; (Taber Organ Co.), 193. 



342 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Taft, George C, 123, 141. 

Taft, Putnam W., 301. 

Taft and Wheeler, 285. 

Tainter, Daniel, wool machinery, 95, 96, 

129, 293, 294. 
Tainter, Ephraim C, improved planing 

machine, 189. 
Tainter, Old, Mill, 206. 
Tanneries, 22, 26, 45, 46, 246. 
Tapes, manufacturing, 107, 108. 
Tappan, (Sampson & Tappan), 

134. 
Tarbell, Ida M., "New Ideals in Busi- 
ness," cited, 255. 
Tatnuck Brook, 32 ; water-shed, 42 ; water 

privilege, 43, 69. 
Taverns, Castle, 10; Hancock Arms, 14; 

Mower's, 23, 26; Stone's, 27; Exchange, 

46; Sikes' Coffee-house, 48, 62, 63; 

Thomas Coffee-house, 49, 131, 183; 

Temperance Exchange, 55; American 

Temperance House, 55; Stockwell's, 64; 

Central Hotel, 183. 
Taxes, payment of, 14. 
Taylor, Simeon, Jr. (Taylor & Farley), 

melodeon makers, 192. 
Taylor, Walter B., 117. 
Tead, Nathaniel, 55. 
Telegraph, electric, invented, 304. 
Tenney, Stephen R., 63. 
Terry Manufacturing Co., 78. 
Thayer, Alexander (A. & S. Thayer), 

70, 121; (Thayer, Houghton & Co.), 

121, 294. 
Thayer, Charles M., 170. 
Thayer, Edward D., satinet mill, 37, 43. 
Thayer, Edward D., Jr., woolen goods 

manufactory, 39, 98; looms, and patent, 

93; (Worcester Thread Co.), 106. 
Thayer, Eli, 97, 211. 
Thayer, Ellis (Thayer & Mason), 288. 
Thayer, L. Delavan, Manufacturing Co., 

108. 
Thayer, Lewis, 65, 68, 69. 
Thayer, Sewall (A. &. S. Thayer), 70, 121. 
Thayer, Stephen H., 43. 
Thomas, Alfred (Whittall & Thomas), 

carpet manufactory, 102. 



Thomas, Isaiah, 22, 23; printer and pub- 
lisher, 15, 19; paper-mill, 19, 20. 

Thomas, Samuel, tavern, 49, 131, 183. 

Thompson, Charles O., on manual labor 
school, 307. 

Thompson, George M. (Spencer Wire 
Co.), 173. 

Thompson, Simeon, 55. 

Thomson, Elijah (Thomson, Skinner 
& Co.), 119. 

Thrall, George (Standard Screw Co.), 219. 

Thread, manufacturing, 69, 90, 105. 

Thurber, Charles (Allen and Thurber), 
121, 122, 205; type-writing machine 
invention, 207. 

Timby, Theodore R., battery-tower pat- 
ent, 212. 

Tolman, Albert, 301 ; harness and carriage 
manufactory, and copartnerships, 183, 
184, 186, 188; noticed, 187. 

Tolman, Edward F., treasurer, Wheelock 
Engine Co., 223, 308. 

Tools, handles, 33, 34, 45, and machinists, 
manufacturing, 118, 123. 

Torrey, Joseph R. and Co., razor strop 
manufactory, noticed, 251. 

Torrey, Lewis H. (J. R. Torrey & Co.), 
251. 

Towne, Preston D., & Co., 293. 

Towne and Harrington, 294, 295. 

Trade schools, development, 308, 310, 
311, 312; Boy's, founded, 310, and 
instruction, 312. 

Trask, (Bigelow & Trask), 238. 

Trask, A. A., 113. 

Trask, Laurin, 137. 

Trask, Solomon, and Co., 113. 

Trip-hammer, mills, 11, 22, 25, 33, 42, 44, 
45, 140, 214. 

Trowbridge, William, 42; (Trowbridge 
& Merrifleld), 62, 63. 

Trowbridgeville, manufacturing, 42. 

Trumbull, George A., 86. 

Trumbull, Joseph (Hartshorn & Trum- 
bull), (Trumbull Waters & Co.), envel- 
ope manufacturers, 197. 

Trumbull and Ward, brewery, 51, 59. 



INDEX 



343 



Tuck, John, vice-president, Allen-Higgins 

Wall Paper Co., 278. 
Tucker, Enos, 233. 
Tupper, Clarence E., 203. 
Turkey Brook, 32, 43. 
Turner, Joseph, 251. 
Turner, William, president, J. R. Torrey 

& Co., 251. 
Turners Falls Power Co., 264. 
Tyler, J. B., 55. 

U 

Union M owing-Machine Co., 135. 
Union Water Meter Co., 123, 291. 
United States Corset Co., 259. 
United States Envelope Co., 197, 309; 

organized, incorporated, and officers, 

201. 
United States Steel Corporation, 161. 
Upham, Freeman, 121. 
Upham, Joel W., 295. 

V 

Vaill, Edward W., 133; Chair Manufac- 
turing Co., 261, 298. 

Valentines, manufacturing, 291. 

Valley Woolen Mill, 38, 39. 

Venetian Red and Copperas Works, 162, 
182. 

Vocalion Organ Co., 298. 

W 

W. & S. Manufacturing Co., 274, 309. 

Wachusett Mills, 288. 

Wachusett Thread Co., 107. 

Wadsworth, Henry C, firearms manufac- 
tory, 206. 

Wadsworth and Fowler, 39. 

Waite, Alvin (Waite, Chadsey & Co.), 115. 

Waldo, Cornelius, 10. 

Waldo, Daniel, hardware, 8, 17, 21, 62. 

Waldo, Daniel, Jr., 22, 23; cotton manu- 
factory, 17, 18, 61. 

Walker, Aaron G., boot and shoe manu- 
factory and copartnerships, 234, 235, 
236, 240. 

Walker, George M., 235; (J. H. and G. 
M. Walker), 237, 241. 



Walker, Joseph, boot and shoe maker, 231, 
and copartnerships, 235. 

Walker, Joseph H., 244, 246n, 250; boot 
manufactory, and copartnerships, 235, 
237, 238, 241. 

Walker, Neil, 285. 

Walker and Ehrman Mfg. Co., 219. 

Wall, Caleb A., " Reminiscences of Wor- 
cester," 231. 

Wall paper, manufacturing, 276. 

Wallace, Arthur J., secretary-treasurer, 
Economic Machinery Co., 280. 

Walpole, wire drawing, 142. 

Ward, Obadiah, 10. 

Ward, Oliver, shoe-maker, noticed, 232. 

Ware, Joseph S. (Ware & Wheelock), gun 
factory, 204. 

Ware, Justin A., 89. 

Ware, Leroy W., 128. 

Warner, Earle, 79. 

Warren, Charles G. (J. F. and C. G. War- 
ren), 247. 

Warren, Edgar W. (C. C. Houghton & 
Co.), 236. 

Warren, J. Frederick (J. F. and C. G. 
Warren), and (J. F. and W. H. Warren), 
belting manufacturers, 247. 

Warren, Otis, 115, 135. 

Warren, Samuel, 45. 

Warren, William (C. C. Houghton & Co.), 
236. 

Warren, William H. (J. F. and W. H. 
Warren Co.), 247. 

Warren, loom works, 90. 

Washburn, Charles, copartnership with 
Ichabod, 145, 146, dissolved, 147, co- 
partnership with Charles F., 150; in- 
corporated, 152; iron and wire works 
destroyed, 151. 

Washburn, Charles F., 155, 161, 167; 
copartnership with Henry S., 148, 
dissolved, 150; copartnership with 
Charles, 150; incorporated, 152; on 
telephone wire experiments, 159n. 

Washburn, Charles G. (Washburn and 
Moen Mfg. Co.), 161; (Wire Goods 
Co.), 174. 

Washburn, Emory, 64, 307. 



344 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Washburn, George I., president, Washburn 
Steam Works, and inventions of steam 
engine, and pump, noticed, 227. 

Washburn, Henry S., 150; rolling-mill, 
147, 148, 150, 213. 

Washburn, Ichabod, 81, 86, 121, 150, 301, 
307; copartnerships, 45, 46, 63, 143, 
145, 148; corporation, and consolida- 
tion, 152; wire-mill, 68, 142, 297; wire 
business, noticed, 143; cotton mill, 151; 
mill burnt, 152; gift toward Mechanics 
Hall, 302; established W. P. I. machine 
shop, 305, 310. 

Washburn, Nathan, 150; firearms, manu- 
factory, 211; car-wheel invention, 213, 
216, noticed, 214; president, Washburn 
Iron Co., 214; Bessemer steel plant, 215. 

Washburn, Reginald, president and treas- 
urer, Wire Goods Co., 174. 

Washburn Car Wheel Co., 215. 

Washburn Iron Co., officers, 214; de- 
scribed, 215. 

Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Co., 
47, 147, 152, 159n, 266, 271, 298, 299, 
309; barbed wire patents, 155, 157; 
officers of corporation, and bought by 
American Steel and Wire Co., 161; 
Waukegan plant, 163; purchased Cali- 
fornia works, 164. 

Washburn, Moen and Co., 147. 

Washburn Steam Works, 227. 

Washington Square Iron and Brass Foun- 
dry, 113. 

Watches, 21, 22. 

Water meter, manufacturing, 291. 

Water system, 36, 37. 

Waterhouse, Ezra P., secretary, and pres- 
ident, Worcester Envelope Co., 202. 

Waters, Asa [2], gun factory, 204. 

Waters, Elijah, and Co., 25. 

Waters, Lucius (Trumbull, Waters & Co.), 
197. 

Watson, Charles, 170. 

Watson, Jacob, 170. 

Watson MiU, 38. 

Watt, James, 230. 

Waukegan, 111., American Steel & Wire 
Co. plant, 164. 



Waverly Shoe Co., 241. 

Webster, Daniel, 29. 

Webster, mill, 99. 

Weeks, Charles S., and Co., 115. 

Wehinger, John, 125. 

Wells, L. Henry, brass foundry, 113, 116. 

Wells Chemical Bronze Works, 116. 

Wesseling, Germany, Norton Co. plant, 

254. 
Wesson, Franklin, firearms manufactory 

207, 208, 296. 
Wesson, J. Edwin, shoe manufactory 235. 
Wesson, Rufus, Jr., shoe manufactory 235. 
Wesson, Walter G. (J. E., and W. G. 

Wesson), 236. 
West Boylston, factories, 118, 142, 238. 
West Point Military Academy, 233. 
Western Automatic Machine Screw Co., 

219. 
Western Railroad Co., charted, and 

first trains, 53; consolidated, 54. 
Wetherbee, E. D., water meter invention, 

291. 
Wetherbee, Oliver, 131. 
Wheeler, Charles, 112. 
Wheeler, Charles A., 221. 
Wheeler, Reuben, 30. 
Wheeler, William A., 56, 121, 131, 213, 

216, 228, 301; iron foundry, noticed, 

111, 118, 220. 
Wheeler, William F., 112. 
Wheeler Foundry Co., 112. 
Wheelock, Clarendon, 68, 120. 
Wheelock, Jerome, steam-engine manu- 
factory, and inventions described, 221 ; 

estimates of his steam engine, 224. 
Wheelock, Prescott, looms, 83; (Wheelock 

and Prentice), 82. 
Wheelock, T. P. (Allen and Wheelock), 

205, 206, 217. 

Wheelock, (Ware & Wheelock), 204. 

Wheelock and Rice, 287. 

Wheelock Steam Engine Co., 122, 223, 

309. 
Wheelwrights, 69, 294. 
Whitaker, John, 290. 
Whitaker Reed Co., officers, 290. 
Whitcomb, Alonzo, notice of, and co- 



INDEX 



345 



partnerships, 118, 122. 

Whitcomb, Alonzo W. (Whitcomb-Blais- 
deU Machine Tool Co.), 124, 125. 

Whitcomb, Byron (Bellows and Whit- 
comb), engine builders, 227, 229. 

Whitcomb, Carter, and Co., 122, 294, 295. 

Whitcomb, Charles H. (C. C. and C. H. 
Whitcomb), 240. 

Whitcomb, Coridon C, boot and shoe 
manufactory, and copartnerships, 240. 

Whitcomb, David, 199, 305. 

Whitcomb, G. Henry, 201, 203; envelope 
manufactory, copartnership and cor- 
poration, 199. 

Whitcomb-Blaisdell Machine Tool Co., 
118, 120, 123; incorporated, and officers, 
124. 

Whitcomb Envelope Co., 199, 200, 202; 
merged into the IT. S. Envelope Co., 
201. 

Whitcomb Foundry Co., 124. 

Whitcomb Manufacturing Co., 123, 124. 

White, Joseph, 142. 

White, Luther, 294. 

White, Rollin G., 187. 

White and Boyden, 188; woolen machin- 
ery, 44, 68; mill burnt, 100. 

Whiting, Charles B., 263. 

Whiting, R. W., Express, 54. 

Whiting, William C, 187. 

Whitman, Augustus (Whitman & Miles) , 
135. 

Whitman, Jared, 135. 

Whitney, Edward, Company, 284. 

Whitney, Edward C, 291; (Whitney 
Mfg. Co.), 285. 

Whitney, EH, cotton gin invented, 304. 

Whitney, George C, 202; noticed, 290; 
(George C. Whitney Co.), 291. 

Whitney, Harry S. (Whitney Mfg. Co.), 
285, 309. 

Whitney, Peter, "History," cited, 14, 19. 

Whitney, Sumner, 290. 

Whitney, Warren A., president and 
treasurer, George C. Whitney Co., 291. 



Whitney Manufacturing Co., 285, 309. 
Whittall, Matthew J., 263; carpet manu- 
factory, 100, 101; noticed, 102. 
Whittall, Matthew P., 103, 104. 
Whittall Mills, 102, 103; noticed, 104. 
Whittemore, Amos, card-setting patent, 

74, 304. 
Whittemore, Charles A., 66. 
Whittemore Brothers, 297. 
Whittle, James H., 97, 110. 
Wicks Manufacturing Co., 44, 102. 
Wilder, Charles E., 294, 296. 
Wilder, Edward, 136. 
Wilder, George W., 187. 
Wilder, Martin, 136. 

Willard, Benjamin, clock maker, 22, 24. 
Willard, Fitzroy, and copartnerships, 66, 

72, 83. 
Willey, George, 65. 
Williams, (Bemis & Williams), 

234. 
Williams, Frank T. (Standard Foundry 

Co.), 118. 
Williams, John (Williams, Rich & Co.), 

293. 
Williams, Jonathan, 131. 
Williams, Warren (Willard, Williams & 

Co.), 66; (BaU & Williams), 189, 212, 

217. 
WilSon, (Dresser & Wilson), 

295. 
Wilson, J. Fred (Wilson & Smith), metal 

stamping, 274, 287. 
Windle, Arthur D. (W. W. & A. D. 

Windle), 35. 
Windle, Thomas, 32, 34, 35. 
Windle, W. W. (W. W. & A. D., 

Windle), 35. 
*Wing, John, mill, 10, 44; described, 10. 
Winn, Charles C, 272. 
Winslow, Edward, 85. 
Winslow, Jonathan, 62. 
Winslow, Samuel, 263; (S. C. & S. Win- 
slow), 260, 295. 



*A recent investigator has located the mill on the present site of the Salisbury Mansion or 
near there. See Proceedings American Antiquarian Society, October, 1916, map opp. p. 276. 



346 



INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



Window, Seth C. (S. C. & S. Winslow), 
260, 295. 

Winslow, Samuel, Skate Manufacturing 
Co., noticed, 260. 

Wire, manufacturing, 28, 45, 68, 142; card, 
23, 142, 144, 148; telegraph, 146; rod- 
rolling, 147, 148, 160, 167, 213, 214, 
described, 178; music, 149; crinoline, 
151; rolling-mill, 152, 160; barbed 
fencing, importance, 153, and woven, 
163; bale ties, 158; copper, 158; rope, 
159, 164; nails, 159; insulated, 161, 164; 
rail bonds, 162, 165; cloth, 169; work- 
ing, 173. 

Wire Goods Co., 108, 299; incorporated, 
and officers, 174; noticed, 175. 

Wiswell, Henry, 20. 

Witherby, Luke, 66. 

Witherby, Luke B. (Witherby, Rugg and 
Richardson), 189, 275; wood-working 
machinery manufactory, 190. 

Wolcot, Charles (Wolcot and Stone), 
boot and shoe manufactory, 233. 

Wolcottville Manufacturing Co., 82. 

Wood, A. Bowman, 93. 

Wood, Aurin (Wood, Light & Co.), 
machinery, 115, 119, 120, 124, 125, 190, 
212, 214, 296. 

Wood, Charles, 119, 296. 

Wood, Edwin H., 128, 129. 

Wood, Jethro, 132. 

Wood, Oliver B., 258. 

Wood, Peter, 107, 285. 

Wood, W. S. (Wood, McFarland and Co.), 
113, 114. 

Woodburn, Josiah (Woodburn, Light & 
Co.), 119. 

Woodbury, Simon J., 238. 

Woodcock, Isaac, (Woodcock, Jones & 
Co.), carriage manufactory, 186. 

Woodland, Frank O., 280. 

Woods-Sherwood Co., 175. 

Woodward, Edward M., (Woodward- 
Powell Planer Co.), noticed, 129. 

Woodward, William, treasurer, Allen- 
Higgins Wall Paper Co., 278. 

Woodworth, Arad, planing machine man- 
ufactory, 189. 



Woodworth, James S., 301. 

Woodworth, William, planing machine in- 
vention, 188, 297. 

Wool, manufacturing, 24, 25, 28, 33, 35, 
38, 39, 40, 43, 46, 63, 65, 70, 78, 97; ma- 
chinery, 26, 27, 33, 34, 35, 46, 62, 63, 
65, 66, 67, 72, 96, 292; duties increased, 
28, 64. 

Woolcott, James, 64. 

Woonsocket Napping Machinery Co., 71. 

Worcester, growth since 1820, 47; oppor- 
tunities to mechanics, 292; trade 
school, 308; population, nationalities, 
314; evening schools, 316; mechanical 
industries, 317. 

Worcester, canal-boat, 51, 182. 

Worcester Agricultural Society, first ex- 
hibit of domestic wares, 30. 

Worcester and Brookfield Iron Foundry, 
111. 

Worcester and Nashua Railroad Co., 
chartered, and consolidated, 56. 

Worcester Art Museum, 285. 

Worcester Barb Fence Co., 108, 169, 299. 

Worcester Bleach and Dye Works, 105, 
285; incorporated, officer, 286. 

Worcester Brewing Corporation, 288. 

Worcester Carpet Mill, 103. 

Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse 
Co., 216. 

Worcester Corset Co., 258, 298. 

Worcester Cotton Manufactory, 17, 61. 

Worcester Counter Co., 246. 

Worcester County, census, 47. 

Worcester County Mechanics Associa- 
tion, 306; first exhibition, 121; testi- 
monial to A. W. GifTord, 217; committee 
in formation, 301 ; erection of Mechan- 
ics Hall, 302. 

Worcester Electric Light Co., 71, 297; 
organized, directors, 263; noticed, 264. 

Worcester Elevator Co., 206. 

Worcester Envelope Co., officers of cor- 
poration, 202. 

Worcester Felt Shoe Co., 45. 

Worcester Felting Co., 108. 

Worcester Ferrule Manufacturing Co. 
272, 275, 289. 



INDEX 



347 



Worcester Gas Light C 
g flri^ i 261: iz.~y.rz :::e 



177: or- 

262: es- 

eers, 263: 



We:: ester Herop Co.. 65. 

Worcester H:n:ra:ie S::ie:v. Trades. 29. 

Worcester Lr:r_ xcoriry. 111. 

Worcester Loon Co.. 95. 295. 309. 

Worcester Lion W :r ks. 95. 

Worcester Marine Co . 294. 

Worcester Maobore S:re~ Co.. 217, 219. 

Worcester Maliea'tie Ir:r_ Werks. 114. 

Worcester Maliea'tie Lr:r Fotrodry. 114. 

115. 
Worcester, Nashua ard Rochester Rail- 



Wo: 

Wo: 



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?r Po 



193. 



26o, _ r 

rraeoor 

Worces 

Worcesoe 



9o. 2oo, 



auuates in 



Worce. 


-- TT 




- Works. 150. 




W;:;-e: 


lea C 


• .. 97. 




Worste 


i"g:o 


is 


roauo 


iacturir. 


g. 32. 35, 44. 


Wren: 


tes. to 


to 


0:2000 


roog. 43. 


69. 136. 293 


Wright 


. Eut 


~:-y 


i. 99, 






Wrigh- 


. Ge: 


~^ 


r F.. 


L69: vrir 


e cloth, and 


c ooe 


r ~~~ t- 


r_r: 


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r X 




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Wriglr 


Wire Co.,, 


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169 












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: : z 


e M. 


presid 


ert. Wright 


W-: 


Co.. 


16 


i». 






Wrigh- 


, He: 


be 


rt X. 


Wrigh- 


Wire Co.., 


169. 












Wrlgh- 


Wire 


C 


:■.. 129 


: ~' :. rt : ui 


mo otioes. 


ard 


varie" 




::" pre 


ducts. 1 


69: croeers. 


169. 












Wyroa 


n. H 

0-f| 


■■>- 


70- - - 


_i Wv 


roar- Gordon 


Co. 


2.1.9 






Wyooa 


o. He 


ra 


e. 59. 


03 •">"-"> 


loorrs. ard 


oote 


uts. 9 


4. 


r. !|, j, _ 


25. 




Wv-i 


r_-Gor 


i: 


Co 




organized, 


rot: 


:-ed. 


27 


': ire 


::o ::t:- 


-d. orrcers. 



73, 






Worcester Si 
Worcester .r 

Worcester 5- 
Wcrcester i 
Worcester T 
Worcester W 
Aro. Steel 



'XV ilrv-r 



W;rrs. 216, 
ad Co.. 106. 



Yam. 



e Co.. 44. 145: absorbed by Yc 
Wire Co.. 167, Yooros 



"H :rac e A . X ert. : o Err err Wheel 

Rob-err. 39. 
Wkke C. 129. 
= Brook. 41. 



and Tube Co., 177. 



348 INDUSTRIAL WORCESTER 



ERRATA 

Page 38. Fifth line from bottom, woolen, not wollen. 

Page 43. Fifth line from top, manufactures, not manufacturers. 

Page 45. Seventh line from bottom, S. S. Jr., not Sr. 

Page 79. Fourth line from bottom, F. L. Ruggles, not F. G. 

Page 93. Seventh line from top, F. P. Knowles, not F. B. 

Page 115. Twelfth line from bottom, Slocomb & Stickel, not Slocum & 
Stickels. 

Page 135. Eighth line from top, A. B. Barnard, not A. P. 

Page 198. Ninth line from top, Rheutan, not Rheuton. 

Page 236. Seventh line from bottom, Child, not Childs. 

Page 238. Second line from the bottom, C. S. Goddard, not D. S. 

Page 288. Fourth line from top, Gardiner, not Gardner. 

Page 290. Ninth line from top, E. E. Cunningham, not E. D. 

Page 291. Ninth line from top, E. Newton, not D. 

Page 293. Fourth line from bottom, Dixie, not Dixon. 









J 



!! I 






!i i 



"ill 

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■ 



